Silver Bay
by whiterosenova
Summary: After Bella's boyfriend dies, she is sent away to a school for 'troubled' students. There she finds that she is part of a legend, destined to be part of a family that protects others. Supernatural, future lemons*
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! This right here is my second FanFic, and I'm so excited. This is different than my last one, so those who read my last story, I hope I read up to expectations. Also, this story will be in Bella's POV for a pretty large portion of the story. I've been working on this for a little while, so I have a lot of chapters written. Hope you like.**

**NOTE: Charlie is not the warm, fuzzy cop in this story. He's the bad guy. So take that with a grain of salt. I'm trying to make all the characters a little different than the book, so keep that in mind when you expect to have them all acting the same. This story contains adult content, meaning abuse early in the story and future lemons, hence the M rating. **

**Disclamer: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a box of mini Fruit Roll Ups. It's freaking awesome.**

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September thirteenth, my birthday. Waking up on your seventeenth birthday with the rain pouring down outside is a bad omen, right? In my case, I can't think that way. In the small town of Forks, Washington, I had grown accustomed to spending important days or holidays under the cover of gray clouds. I became envious of the residents of Florida when I was about ten years old.

"Isabella! You awake?" My mother shouted. I shifted in my bed, tearing my eyes away from the window. I sighed and cracked a small smile.

"Yes Renee!" When teenagers got closer to adult age, they called their parents by their first names, right?

"I don't think so missy!" I heard her laugh gently, but was immediately cut off by my father's rough voice. My smile disappeared and I made my birthday wish right there: I wanted to stay in bed all day and not have to deal with this shit.

My cell phone vibrated from its position on my desk, and I shot up to grab it before it started to beep. If my father heard it he would confiscate it again. I was not supposed to have my phone on at night. Rule twelve, I believe.

Brushing my fingers through my hair, I smiled when I saw the text was from my boyfriend, Ryan.

_Happy Birthday, sweetie. I'll call you when I'm on my way over. Love, Ryan_

I grinned like an idiot, wishing that my time with him would come sooner. Spending an evening with Ryan was the birthday present I wanted, not to go out with my parents and sit through an awkward dinner.

"Isabella?" My mother's voice called again, and this time I could tell that she had come upstairs and was walking closer to my door. I threw my cell phone on the desktop and opened the bedroom door before she could knock.

I loved my mother, more than my own life. Our relationship had been very close when I was younger, but for some reason we drifted… probably because I withdrew into my own mind. I shook my head, forcing myself to stop 'shrinking' myself.

"Hey you, happy birthday!" My mother walked forward and embraced me in a tight hug. I was reluctant on hugging her back, but looking over her shoulder I saw my father standing in the hallway. If I didn't make my mother happy, he would get angry.

"Thanks mom." I followed her downstairs, flinching away from my wordless father as I passed him. I kept my mind on Ryan, knowing I would only have to play golden child for a little while longer and then I could escape for a while.

"What would you like for breakfast?" The question caught me off guard a bit, knowing that usually I didn't get a say in what my mother cooked.

"Um, anything is fine," I responded. I sat at the kitchen table and smiled when I saw that my mother had already made my favorites—pancakes and eggs. I reached forward to grab the spatula for the pancakes and winced when I saw the yellowing bruise on my wrist. I pulled back immediately and pulled down on the shirt sleeve. Something within me cringed at the fact that I was hiding he bruise. But Charlie's dark eyes were watching me, and I knew it was something I had to do.

"Thank you for breakfast, Mom." She seemed pleased that I loved it, and I remained quiet between my chewing. The large clock on the kitchen wall counted the seconds that we sat there in silence. My father read the newspaper, adorned in his full uniform for work. This is what happens when your father is the Chief of Police; you never know when you'll see him donned in apparel.

"So what time is Ryan picking you up?" my mother broke the silence. I grinned at her before setting my fork down on my empty plate.

"He said he'll be here around noon." My dad huffed and set his coffee mug down a little too forcefully. I instinctively flinched back, wondering if the mug was going to stay where it was on the table.

"I don't understand why you're spending time with people who are _not_ your family on your birthday," Charlie said with a harsh bite in his tone. My eyes automatically flew up to my mother, wishing and hoping that fate was on my side today, and she would stand up for me.

Thank you fate.

"Well, since you're going to be at work today, I told Bella she could pick her plans." Renee's words flew out of her mouth with a smile on her face. "She wants to have fun with her friends, so she's going out with Ryan and we'll have a late dinner if possible." Charlie glared at my mother, but she didn't back down. With a final grunt, he tucked his newspaper under his arm and stood. My breathing stopped when he stared at me. I swear a full minute passed before saying anything.

"Happy birthday, Bella." The air I had been holding flew out of my lungs.

"Thanks dad." And just like that, Charlie kissed Renee on her cheek and walked out the front door. The house was eerily quiet, so I just sat as I watched my mother walk around the kitchen. A faint flush had appeared on her cheeks, which I knew would happen when she stood up to Charlie.

"Thanks," I whispered. Renee waved her hand like it was nothing and continued to clean up the kitchen. When we were done I headed up to my bedroom to get ready for when Ryan picked me up. Taking a fast shower, I wrapped a towel around me and started to rake through my closet. Choosing a pair of dark jeans and a red t-shirt, I threw the towel to the side. When I pulled on my underwear, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I froze.

There was a long bruise on my back, stopping right before it reached my hip. But what scared me more was the scattering of bruises that I could still see on my arm. _Shit_. My eyes trailed to the t-shirt I had brought out, and I knew it wouldn't be the best choice for tonight. The bruises I had were not to be shown to anyone. Rule number seventeen. Even my mother turned her head to this.

Images of Charlie pushing me against the wall the other night a few minutes past curfew flew through my head. _'What would the town think if the Chief's daughter is a fucking hussy!'_ he had screamed at me.

I swallowed hard, pushing past the nausea. I put the t-shirt back and grabbed a long sleeved black sweater. Better to hide things with, I guess. My cell phone rang then, and I reached for it with a smile.

"Hello?" I could hear car sounds in the background.

"_Hey, Bella! I'm on my way. I should be there in five minutes." _Ryan, wonderful Ryan.

"Okay, I'll see you then!" I hung up the phone without further conversation, knowing I still wasn't ready. I looked in the mirror, wondering when I became so ordinary. I had gotten my hair cut just last week, and now my brown hair hung just above my shoulders. I reached for a brush, making is so that the stray hairs were now tucked back in with the rest of my crazy hair. My eyes were large and brown, and I always thought they were too simple. But Ryan loved them; he said he could see my soul. The thought made me blush, and I quickly tore my eyes away from my reflection. Grabbing my black boots, I shoved my feet inside and raced down the stairs, purse in hand.

"He here?" My mother asked. She was sitting in front of the television, the volume low. A book was in her lap, and I smiled at her ability to somewhat multitask. If anyone asked her later on what happened on that television show and in that book, she'd know everything.

_Knock, Knock._

"Yeah, that's him," I said excitedly. I approached my mother and gave her a quick hiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later." My mom didn't say much of anything, but gave me a smile as I walked towards the door. Opening it, I could only grin.

Ryan Lynch was my beacon of light on a dark night. He had moved to Forks about three years ago, when we were all still in Junior High. His personality was immediately accepted, and I developed the biggest crush on him. Only during the summer after freshman year did he start to show signs of liking me as well. I remember it like it was yesterday… a group of us from school going to the movies. Sitting next to Ryan in a dark theatre had been the highlight of my existence… until Ryan reached over and held my hand.

And here he was, over a year later, at my front door step to take me out for my birthday. My life of covering bruises didn't seem so bad when his white light shined down on me.

"You ready babe?" he asked. I nodded, reaching out to grab his hand. I adored Ryan, and how he looked at me with such adoration. He had blonde hair that stopped right at his ears, and blue eyes that sparkled like he had a neon light behind them.

"Bye Mom!" I yelled as I closed the door. I was free, I was out of the house. Stepping through the falling rain, I slipped into the passenger seat of Ryan's Expedition.

"So, what's on the agenda?" Ryan asked, backing out of the short driveway. I grinned and shrugged. I didn't care, as long as I had time away from the house.

"Doesn't matter, you choose."

Ryan drove us to the town bowling alley, and I was pleased to see that all of our friends were there to great us. Stepping out of the SUV, I was swept into a group hug. Jessica, Cindy and Maria were singing me an off-key happy birthday tune while the guys hung back to chat. I adored my friends, every single one of them.

"So, this was planned?" I asked rhetorically to Ryan. He grinned and ducked as Ben swung to smack him. The interior of the bowling alley was always dull and placid, but when Jessica pushed me past the entranceway, I gasped when I saw there was a banner hanging over two of the lanes saying 'Happy Birthday Bells!' Tears sprang to my eyes and I laughed.

"Guys!" Ryan put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into a hug.

"Happy birthday Bella. I love you." I turned to kiss him, letting my lips linger before I was grabbed away again.

The afternoon went by quickly, and I was showered in birthday attention and gifts. I'll be honest, I normally hate the attention. But something about today told me to smile and take it. Five games and three bags of gifts later, Ryan was sweeping me away.

"Care for dinner?" he asked. I nodded eagerly. Glancing at my cell phone I saw that I still had two hours before I had to be home. Curfew sucked but according to my father it was a necessary evil. I remained quiet as Ryan drove through the streets, letting his fingers trace patterns over my hand. I felt calm, which was welcoming. Lately, it was rare that I felt peaceful. At home I was required to finish all of my homework before I could come downstairs for dinner or television. My father even checked it before I went to bed to make sure I hadn't skipped over anything. _What would everyone think if the Chief of Police's daughter was a lazy student? _The rare weekend when I could escape with my friends was glorious. My friends didn't ask many questions though. They knew Charlie was strict and would just blame it on that. Sometimes I wish they wouldn't let it go so easily… maybe if someone looked a little harder into my life they would see all the wrong things.

"You okay?" Ryan's voice penetrated into my thoughts and I smiled automatically.

"Of course." I realized then that he had stopped the car in front of the local diner. My chest seized for a moment before I noticed that the all too familiar police cruiser was not in the parking lot. Charlie always stopped here to get coffee.

"Are you sure?" I saw that Ryan's eyes were studying me, a little too closely, so I grinned and jumped out of the car. Sitting down in an available booth, we said hello to everyone that waved and started to scan through the menu.

"Thank you for today," I said softly. Ryan raised his eyes to me and smiled.

"It's your birthday, I would do anything for you." I could see the way he looked at me, and the way he caressed me with just a gaze. He was perfect.

"What can I get for you kids?" The waitress, Brianna, stopped by the booth. I knew her from the year before, when she still attended Forks High School. It perturbed me slightly that this was as far as she had gotten after she graduated. Was this the best that I would do? Would I stay in this town forever?

We ordered food and laughed over light conversation until the food arrived. One thing I liked about Ryan was that he was okay with the silence. He didn't force conversation and make me talk about things when the silence was so much more inviting.

After dinner was through, Ryan and I sat in the car, staring at the diner.

"Something's on your mind," Ryan whispered. I sighed and closed my eyes. Should I tell him the truth? I felt his hand close around mine, and I smiled. The darkness of the night mixed with the harder falling rain made a curtain of darkness over my face. I had no reason to be embarrassed about my admitting my feelings, especially when he couldn't see how red my face was becoming.

"What's going to happen after we graduate?" I asked quietly. Ryan shifted in his seat and I heard a small chuckle escape him.

"We have a year and a half left to worry about that, right? What are you worrying about?" I winced at his ability to brush this off, but I decided it was now or never.

"Brianna went to school with us last year." I pointed out her figure from the lit up diner before us. Ryan looked at her and nodded once. "She wanted to go to school on the East coast and become a psychologist." Again, Ryan nodded.

"She works at the diner full time."

"And this bothers you, because?" I sighed again and rolled my eyes at myself. How would I explain my fears to him when he seemed so laid back about it all?

"What's going to happen after we graduate?" I repeated my question. "You mentioned how you want to run your own business, and I want to be a writer. What if college doesn't work out and we end up in this town like Brianna? I want to be free of it, not be stuck in the shadow of my parents."

Silence.

"Sweetie," Ryan finally said, "I promise that you will not end up like Brianna." I opened up my mouth to argue with him, wondering how on _earth_ he knew this, but he rested his finger over my lips.

"You are not Brianna." Ryan's voice was firm and I quieted immediately. "You are Isabella Swan, and you are such an incredible person, that there is no way for you to end up a townie. You will leave this town and blossom. You will succeed and you will be more than a diner waitress."

Silence.

I stared at Ryan, my heart pounding. He said exactly what I needed to hear.

"I love you." And just like that I was moving over the center console and pressing my lips to his. I knew I caught him off guard when his hands paused before wrapping around me, but I didn't let that deter me from what I wanted at that moment. I wanted Ryan, and I wanted to feel him. I let my tongue dart out to brush along his bottom lip and grinned into him when I felt him respond. I let my hands sink into his hair, pulling his face closer as I opened my mouth for him. As usual, he tasted like warmth and honey.

Slowly I let my right hand leave his hair and travel down his neck and to his waist. I wanted so badly to let my fingers duck under his shirt, but I couldn't go there yet. _Yet._ I could feel my face heat up as I imagined leaning back in my seat and letting Ryan's weight cover me. Before I could follow through with my imagination, I could feel Ryan stiffen and pull away. I laughed and reached for him again.

"Hey, I didn't say you could pull away." But I saw that Ryan was staring out the front windshield, and in the glow of the light from the diner's 'Open' sign, his face had paled considerably. "Ryan?" I felt uneasy as I turned to follow his eyes, and then I understood. There under the awning of the diner, staring directly at me was Charlie.

I jumped back and let out a small squeak. Shit, shit, shit.

"Your dad just caught us making out," Ryan whispered. My heart was pounding. It was not just the fact that we were making out. It was the fact that we were making out in front of a public place, and my father was the person who had found us.

"Drive," I muttered, not tearing my eyes away from my father's. Ryan turned to me with his eyebrows up.

"What? We can't just-" I turned to him and all but yelled in his face.

"Drive!" Ryan jumped and turned the key in the ignition. It was the only thing I could tell him to do. I didn't know what would happen if we just sat there watching as Charlie killed me with a glare. Would he have torn me out of the car and let Ryan watch as he hit me? Would he have walked away and dealt with me later? I didn't want to find out.

"Bella, what is going on?" Ryan asked as he pulled away from the diner and towards my house.

"Nothing. I have to go home." My hands were shaking, so I clenched them into fists and held them to my lap.

"Bella!" I looked at Ryan and wanted to cry. Wait, was I already crying? I touched my cheek and felt the slick tears on my face. Looking down at the dash board I saw that it was five minutes past my curfew.

"I missed curfew." I was honestly surprised that he heard me, but Ryan turned to me with an exasperated expression on his face.

"So what if you missed it by a few minutes? Are your parents going to be that mad?" I opened my mouth to answer, but knew he wouldn't understand. Instead I closed my mouth and shook my head. I couldn't say anything. Rule number fifteen. Minutes later Ryan pulled into my driveway, and I grabbed my purse and opened the door.

"Wait! Bella!" He reached out and grabbed my arm, and I cried out in pain. There was no way he would know that was my bruised arm. His eyes were wide and he let go.

"I'm sorry, I'll call you later." I slammed the door shut just as he yelled my name, and I ran for the door. I ignored the rain, knowing it didn't matter at this point. I barged into the house and looked around. Most of the lights were off, but I saw that my mother was sitting in the living room with her book, just like I had left her hours ago.

"Mom?" I whispered. The clock above her head showed it was thirteen after eight, and I knew after what my father saw, he would be home any minute. I could hear Ryan's car recede from the driveway, and I felt so alone. My mother looked at me and gave a week smile.

"Happy birthday sweetie." And like that, she stood from the couch and walked upstairs. My mouth hung open in shock. Did she just leave me to defend myself? I looked around the living room and at the clock again. Maybe if I just went upstairs and went to bed, I could either ignore this or at least postpone it. But my thoughts were cut short when headlights flashed through the room and came to a stop outside the front door.

Charlie.

I looked around and frantically tried to act like I hadn't been waiting for him to get home. I turned on the television and sat on the edge of the recliner. Maybe if I was watching TV he would just go upstairs. The door opened with a bang, slamming into the wall on the other side. I winced and looked at the figure, swallowing hard.

"Hey dad," I whispered. My heart was echoing loudly in my ears and I wondered if he could hear me. His brown eyes that were so much like my own glared at me as he slammed the door. No words were spoken as he stood breathing hard in the doorway and I sat scared on that chair. And just like that Charlie moved forward and grabbed my arm.

"No! Dad, I'm sorry!" He led me into the kitchen and slammed me against the counter. Tears were already pouring down my cheeks as I closed my eyes in pain. I could feel the edge of the counter cut into my back, but I bit my lip from crying out; this would only make him angrier. I peeked out to watch as Charlie reached forward and turned on the garbage disposal. The grinding sound echoed throughout the house, and I knew then that I was not forgiven.

"No! No, please, no," I cried. The garbage disposal was there to drown out my cries, to make sure that the neighbors couldn't hear. I had tried so many times to break that damn thing, but Charlie would always call the local handyman over to fix it. I was condemned to this.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Charlie asked me as he searched the drawer for the rolling pin. I winced as his other hand clenched down on my arm, and I wish I had the strength to pull away from him. "What do you think you were doing when you decided to practically fornicate in front of the damn diner?!"

"I'm sorry!" I screamed. Charlie found the rolling pin quicker than I hoped and pointed it at me.

"You ask for this, you know that right?" I couldn't nod. I couldn't say a word. I could only stare at the wood weapon that Charlie wielded. And just like that, he grabbed my arm and extended it out, slamming the rolling pin onto my arm. I screamed out in pain, forcing myself to keep my other hand to stay where it was—clenching the counter's edge. He only hit my arm three times, and for that I was grateful. Not too hard to break anything, but hard enough to 'teach me a lesson'. Charlie stepped back from me and I fell to the ground.

"Please stop," I cried. I was shaking, and I brought my right arm to my chest to protect it. There was a constant ringing in my ears, and I tried hard to push past it and listen to what he was saying. If he asked me a question and I didn't hear him, I would only make him angrier.

"You listen to me, Bella," Charlie crouched down to speak to me as I huddled on the floor. "You are not to see that boy anymore." I opened my mouth automatically to protest, fear blinding me when I thought of never seeing Ryan again. But I clamped it shut when I saw Charlie raise his hand as if to strike me.

"No!" I cried out. I was pressed back against the cabinets as far as I could be, but it wasn't far enough.

"You aren't to see him anymore," Charlie repeated. "And you are to come home after school every day. Home and school, that's all. Until further notice." I nodded quickly. I kept my eyes shut as I heard Charlie stand. Seconds later I felt something slam against my temple, and it was like an explosion behind my eyelids.

"Go to bed." I gasped in pain as I listened to Charlie walk around the house, shutting off the garbage disposal, the television, and all of the lights. As he walked up the stairs, I dared to open my eyes. The entire house was encased in darkness, and I only then allowed myself to collapse on the linoleum floor. Curled in the fetal position, I let my cries leak out quietly. I had no defense mechanism when I had no one to stand up for me, and I was too small to stand up for myself. After all, he was the Chief of Police. Who would believe me?

I rose from the ground once my tears had subsided. Glancing around I saw that my purse was on the floor, wide open. I knew my cell phone was gone without looking inside, as this would be a part of my punishment as well. Keeping my right arm pressed to my chest, I left the purse in the middle of the floor and walked tentatively up the stairs. My parents' door was closed, so I walked into my bedroom and shut the door. Shedding my clothes with a few cries, I walked to get my nightgown. There was no use fighting this, I knew. This was not a first time occurrence, even if I never admitted it aloud. Glancing in the mirror, I bit my lip again. The side of my face where Charlie had hit me was swelling, already showing the signs of a bruise. My arm was also bruising, and I thought it ridiculous that now both of my arms were matching.

Is this what I had become? A battering ram? Would it ever end? I ignored the questions and dressed into a nightgown that covered my arms. I curled into my comforter, staring at the wall.

"Happy birthday to me," I whispered. The sound of rain falling outside normally would keep me awake, but tonight it lulled me to sleep. I was just slipping into a dream when I heard a soft noise from within my room. My eyes shot open and I sat up as quickly as I could. Looking around I let my hand fly up to my mouth, gasping when I saw a figure sliding into my window.

"Ryan!" I whispered. I slid out of the bed and rushed forward. He had to leave, he had to leave _now_.

"Bella, are you okay? I tried to call you but it goes straight to voicemail." Ryan was soaked from head to toe, and I gaped at the fact that he just climbed the tree outside my window.

"Ryan, you have to leave!" I started to push him towards the window, but he turned and reached for my arm. His hand wrapped around my right arm, very gently, but I cried out in pain regardless. I wrenched my arm away and held it to my chest. Looking at Ryan, I pleaded with my eyes for him to leave. He didn't understand, he didn't know what would happen if my father found him in the bedroom.

Ryan didn't say anything though, only stared at me as he reached out again and grabbed my right hand.

"No, Ryan, please." But he didn't listen. Holding my hand tightly, he reached out and lifted the sleeve of my shirt. The bruises were dark already, and regardless of the lack of light, he could see every single one of them.

"Bella!" Ryan gasped. His movements became frantic as he pushed the sleeve up the rest of the way and moved to my left arm, doing the same. Seconds passed by as he unearthed more bruises, and when he reached out to grab my face, he saw the final one on my temple.

"Did you father do this to you?" he asked. His voice was flared with anger, and I didn't want to tell the truth. If he knew the truth, he would try and do something, and the best thing right now was to just leave and not look back.

"Ryan, you have to go," I moaned out. I couldn't look him in the eyes, knowing that he would see the truth if I looked at him directly.

"Bella, don't you fucking lie to me," Ryan threatened. "Did he do this to you?" I looked down at the floor, and finally nodded. Ryan let me go and stepped back. I let the tears leak out of my eyes as I watched his shoes retreat. Was he going to think any less of me? I listened as Ryan took a deep breath, and just like that he was moving around my room very quickly. I looked up and gaped at him.

"What are you doing?" I asked him quietly. He had grabbed a duffel bag form the corner of my room and was opening drawers, throwing clothes into the bag.

"I'm getting you the hell out of here. Get dressed." My mouth remained open as I watched Ryan throw several pairs of jeans into the bag, followed by sweaters and shirts.

"But I can't…" He turned on me so quickly that I flinched back.

"To hell you can't. You are not staying here. I am taking you to the hospital to make sure nothing is broken, and then you are coming home with _me_." We stood in my room, staring at each other, and my resolve broke. I stepped forward and wrapped my less painful arm around his waist.

"Thank you," I whispered. Ryan kissed the top of my head and ran his hand through my hair, careful not to touch my bruise.

"Get dressed." I did as he said, and minutes later he was helping me out of the window and down the tree. I couldn't believe this was happening; I couldn't believe I was following Ryan. If this went wrong, if something happened and I was forced to go back to my home, I would pay for it. This was the biggest mistake I could do. When my feet hit the wet grass, I pulled my hand away from Ryan. He turned back to look at me in question, and I just stared.

"There are so many ways this can come back to bite me in the ass," I said with a laugh. Ryan shifted my bag on his shoulder and reached out for my hand again.

"You're with me, Bella, you're safe." Words never sounded so sweet. I grabbed his hand and trudged through the rain to his SUV that was parked around the corner. Slipping into the dry passenger seat, I sighed and closed my eyes. Was it really that easy? Did I really get away?

"I don't want to go to Forks General," I said to Ryan as he turned on the car. "Charlie knows too many people there." Ryan nodded, understanding me without searching for explanations.

"I'll bring you to the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles," he said as he drove away. "It's going to be a drive, but we run less of a chance of running into someone who knows your father." I leaned back into the seat, watching the road whip by as we hit Highway 101. The rain was falling harder now, and I tried not to think of that as an omen… a fucking horrible omen.

"You know, I woke up this morning thinking the rain was a bad omen on my birthday," I said to Ryan as I watched the yellow reflecting lines pass us by. "I guess I was right."

"I don't want you thinking that way," he said gently. "You shouldn't have to live in conditions like that. I can't believe I never saw it before."

"I'm good at covering up," I bit out. He shook his head though.

"That's just it. You shouldn't have to worry about covering up anything. You're too special for this shit." I reached out and took one of his hands from the steering wheel, bringing it to my lips.

"I love you," I whispered. Ryan smiled at me and I turned away with a blush. Mere seconds later, I felt my eyes go wide and I screamed.

"_Ryan!_" His eyes tore away from me and flew to the road. He swerved to the right, narrowly missing the deer that stood in the middle of the road, and I gasped when I felt the car swing to the left in correction.

"Shit!" Ryan yelled. His hands were on the wheel, trying hard to straighten the car, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the edge of the forest ahead. My hands were gripping the seat, and I could hear a high pitched scream echo through the air. It hit me suddenly that the screaming was coming from me.

It was like slow motion, my eyes glued to the windshield as the car slowly turned sideways, skidding across the road. I don't know what we hit, but we were turning. The seatbelt strained against my chest, cutting off my air supply. The car hit something then, slamming into the ground and slid. I felt intense pain in my temple as my head hit the window, and I cursed the fact that Charlie had to hit me there just that night. I felt my world turn around me, shaking me as I continued to scream. Only when we hit a solid surface did the car seem to stop. I opened my eyes, gasping for breath, tears pouring. I felt disoriented, and realized we were upside down. I screamed again, letting a sob break through. Strands of my hair fell down around my face, and I swiped them away to see.

"Ryan! Ryan!" I cried. I turned to the left and froze. Ryan was motionless, eyes closed. I could feel my breathing speed up, and slowly my vision started to blur.

"Ryan?" The rain pounded down outside, and I was vaguely aware of noises coming from the car. Metal groaning and something under the hood clicking. Ryan was still, his head cocked to the side. I could see blood leaking from a gash in his forehead, pouring into a puddle on the roof.

"Ryan?" I whispered. I felt weak, and just seconds after I whispered his name, I succumbed to the blackness.

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**Well? I know this is a shitty cliffhanger lol, but hopefully I won't keep you waiting for the next chapter. And by doing that, I want people to read this story. I will post Chapter two when I have at least five reviews. HA! Power is great. Love, Ashley**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay so I waited for the whole five review thing, but it was taking too long lol. I guess four reviews are good enough. But just so you know, when you read this chapter, leave a little somethin somethin in the review box that way I feel frisky and leave you another chapter. Bartering.. see how that works? Thank you to all who read this first chapter. I know it's all brand new and everything but it feels good to see that it's getting a response!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do however own the Family Guy DVD collection. The Blackie weather report for this evening. It's gonna snow!**

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_Beep…beep…beep…beep_

The sound of the steady beeping brought me back from the darkness I had allowed myself to fall into, and I took a deep breath before I opened my eyes just a sliver. The room was near pitch black, and I could hear soft voices coming from nearby.

Where was I? I looked around and noted that there were several machines to my left. I closed my eyes again when I realized I was in a hospital. What happened? My head was throbbing, and when I reached up to rub my temple, I couldn't move.

"She's going to be very sore for a while," a stern voice said. I looked around and saw that the door was open, and the voice seemed to be coming from out in the hallway. I could hear someone crying, and I wondered who it was.

"Will she be okay?" The crying was coming from my mother. The man's voice paused and kept talking.

"She hit her head pretty bad on the window, and we needed to stitch her up there. She broke her right arm and her right collar bone. The break was clean, and won't need surger, but she will still need to rest for a while. Overall, the trauma of seeing the boy die will affect her the most."

_WHAT?_

I stopped breathing. The trauma of…what? The steady beeping became erratic. Thoughts of Ryan flew through my head, and I tried hard to remember what happened. I remembered Ryan rescuing me, and I remember how we headed to Port Angeles. After that… I wasn't sure. My eyes flashed through the room, but I wasn't able to concentrate on anything.

The rain… the car… did we crash?

"What's happening to her?" I looked around and saw that my parents were now standing next to the bed, staring down at me. My mother's eyes were flooded with worry, but my father's… well, they were hard and emotionless.

And he still scared the shit out of me.

"No!" I screamed. I started to thrash, but I could feel a hand close in over my left arm. "No!"

"Bella, you have to calm down!" The doctor was trying to calm me, but I could only see my father staring at me, silently telling me that I would regret what I had done, and I could only hear the words that killed me inside.

_The trauma of seeing the boy die…_

The doctor yelled for someone, and seconds later a nurse was running in with a syringe. I screamed again, struggling as much as I could against the hands that held me down. The doctor took the IV and inserted the syringe. I could feel the tears falling, and I heard the cries coming from my mother. But I didn't care.

"Ryan…" I whispered. The last image I had before I blacked out again was of the doctor staring at me with pity in his eyes.

* * *

_**Six weeks later…**_

My urge to live was gone. Knowing I was due to go back to school that day, I ignored the incessant taunt of my alarm clock. I cursed my mother for setting it the night before. The pillow remained over my head as my mother entered my bedroom uninvited and tried to coax me out of bed.

"Bella, sweetheart, you have to get out of bed. You have to go back to school." I could tell her tone was pleading and stressed. But my will to care was gone. She eventually gave up her efforts and left me alone, closing my bedroom door behind her.

Only after the fourth day of this did I hear my father interfere.

"Renee, you can't just let her stay up there until she _feels_ like re-joining the real world." That moment was the first time after I had gotten home from the hospital that my body actually had an emotion reaction. I wanted to get out of that bed, open the door, and yell at him to go to hell. Tell him that this was his fault. And if he had just kept his hands to himself Ryan wouldn't have tried to rescue me; we would all be fine. But instead I buried myself further into my comforter and squeezed my eyes shut.

Hour after hour I thought of Ryan and ran through our last day together. I thought of different things I could have done to change the outcome, and to avoid his death. Why did I let him take me away? Why did I let him coerce me into telling him where the bruises came from? I should have just lied and kept on with the same charade I'd been dealing with for years. Instead I looked into those beautiful blue eyes and told him what I had kept hidden from the world.

A fresh wave of nausea rushed over me, and I pressed my fist to my mouth. I could feel the bile rise in my throat, but thankfully passed, and I was able to wallow in my own horrible reality.

The sun rose and set, and my mother's attempts at resurrecting the old Isabella eventually stopped. The only times she would come into my room was to leave meals on my nightstand. I used what little strength I had to pick at those meals, but I only ever emerged from my room to drag myself to the bathroom.

At first I wasn't sure how much time had gone by, but I noticed that my mother had turned on the heat in the house. Had October already past? For a moment I wondered if everyone had forgotten about me.

A week after the weather had turned bitter cold I heard my parents' voices drift upstairs, more angry than anything else. I listened in on a conversation that was clearly not meant for my ears. Their voices were urgent and angry, but forcibly hushed.

"Her principal said there's nothing they can do. All the strings that _could_ be pulled, _have _been," my mother said tearfully. I could hear the refrigerator door open and close, and the distinct sound of a can opening.

"Will you please stop drinking for one damn minute?!" The can was slammed down on the counter and I could almost see the anger in my father's face as he turned on her.

"Don't you _dare_ speak to me that way!" Other words were exchanged that I couldn't quite make out. I lifted my head out of my down comforter cave, and watched the door as if willing my parents to continue the conversation in my room.

"What do we do now?" I heard my mother ask.

"I don't know," my father said, drinking from his beer can I was sure, "There's a school a few towns over that specialize in expelled kids."

_Expelled?!_

Had I heard my father correctly? Had I been _expelled_ from my school?

"I think we should do what we talked about," my mother said. Her voice was suddenly firm and decisive; something she rarely was.

Their voices went back to a faint murmur and I buried myself back into a cotton abyss. Whatever plan they were discussing no longer concerned me. I had been expelled. For lack of attendance I was sure. Which made me wonder, just how long I had let myself sink into this depression? How long I had barricaded myself into my bedroom?

Once again I lost track of time, loosing count of how many times the sun had peeked through my dark red curtains and how many times I heard the garbage truck make their rounds on our street.

At one point my bedroom door opened and I heard dresser drawers open and close. Laundry? I doubted this; I only emerged from my bedroom every other day to change clothes, and mom had done laundry a few days ago. Hadn't she? I wasn't so sure anymore.

My mother made several trips to my room that day, opening my closet and dresser drawers more times than I thought necessary. I didn't watch her though, but kept my eyes trained on the lowering sun through the curtains. When the sun had finished its trip into the distant mountains, I would let myself succumb to the tears I had at bay.

After my mother's last trip, I lifted myself out of bed and lowered my feet to the carpeted floor. A trip to the bathroom to wash up was much needed. Then back to my repetitive schedule of dying internally.

The shower felt relaxing, and I let myself stay under the hot spray longer than necessary. I looked down to my unshaven legs and wondered if the sheets on my bed would care if they were pricked by the hair. Sighing, I lifted the razor I hadn't touched in almost two months and lathered up my legs. It didn't take long to rid myself of the dark layer of fur I had grown, and quickly shut off the water.

Immediately I heard voices coming from downstairs, more than just my mother and father.

_Company_. That's odd. I squinted at my reflection in the mirror. This was the first time I had looked at myself in… well, I wasn't sure how long. My eyes were sunken in, clear dark circles surrounding my once comforting brown eyes. My skin was paler now, its original medium color now come. What did I expect after not going into the sun for such a length of time?

Slowly I reached up to touch my face, and ran my fingers along my temple. There was a two inch long scar, prominent against my pallor skin, and begging to be acknowledged. The skin was now smooth, and I had to force my hand to drop.

I opened the medicine cabinet and reached my hand for my contact lenses. I stopped short when I realized the shelf where I kept them was empty. I hadn't worn them since the accident, and in my stupor I hadn't bothered to wear them in bed. Why did I want them now? I didn't know. My plan was to go right back to bed and let the tears win. Maybe it was an automatic reaction, something I always did when I finished showering. I shrugged mentally, not caring if the curtains I would be staring at would be blurry or not.

I finished dressing and threw my old clothes into the basket by the door. I did a double take when I realized the hamper was half full. If my mother wasn't doing laundry before, why was she in my closet?

Again, I ignored any strain of thought and closed the lid to the basket. Yawning, I opened the bathroom door and choked off a scream.

Standing in the hall, blocking off my path to the room were two very tall, very large men.

What I didn't immediately see were my mother and father standing to the side, a look of panic on my mothers face.

"Mom?" I muttered. It was the first word I had spoken in weeks.

"I'm sorry sweetie. We didn't really have a choice." My eyes flittered between the two men in front of me. Both were well over six feet tall and wearing identical uniforms. I wasn't able to read the embroidered words, but was able to make out a silver tree on each of their shirt pockets.

"What's going on?" My voice was stronger this time, and I braced myself for the unknown. My father took a step forward, hand up as if to ward off an attack.

"Bella, your school called us…"

"Don't talk to me!" The surge of anger that burst from me surprised everyone, even the two strangers who still stood shoulder to shoulder, a makeshift wall.

"Bella, please stay calm," my mother crooned. I let my gaze wander over her and noticed how she, too, looked as if she needed sleep. The man who called himself my father looked fine though. Bored almost.

"The school expelled you." My mother's words were not a surprise, and I showed no reaction.

"Our choices were limited to what we could do, and the doctor recommended this school east of here…" My placid exterior was gone, and I snapped as realization set in.

"You're sending me _away_?" It all made sense. The men were here to take me away, by force if necessary.

"You didn't leave us any choice Isabella," my mother pleaded, "you won't get out of bed, you won't eat. You don't even fit in your clothes anymore!" I looked down to my ensemble and saw how my plaid night pants barely hung onto my waist, and how my figure was lost in my shirt.

"You stopped going to school, and if we enrolled you anywhere else, we had no guarantee that you would go there either!" She was right.

"This school helps children who are going through a difficult time in their lives." Everyone was silent, waiting to see what I could do. Should I run? I stared at the muscles attached to the man-wall and thought of how quickly they'd grab me.

Slowly I backed away. My father rolled his eyes, and I felt like lunging at him, giving him a taste of what he put _me_ through. The two strangers tensed and my mother backed away.

I stepped back into the bathroom and slammed the door shut in their faces, turning the lock quickly.

I looked around the small enclosure for an escape that didn't exist. Immediately a fist started to bang on the door and I jumped with fright. This was the most emotion and movement I had shown in weeks, and I could almost see the looks of shock my parents were exchanging.

"Bella, don't fight this!" The voice belonged to a stranger, and I knew it was one of the men talking. I looked towards the small window above the toilet, and I calculated quickly if my body would fit through the square.

The fists continued to pound, and the door knob rattled.

"Bella, open the damn door!" Hearing my father's voice pushed me forward, and I climbed to the top of the toilet tank, reaching up to open the pane of glass. Straining against the years of not being used, I felt relief when it gave way against the force I exerted. Looking behind me once more, I stuck my toes on the molding on the wall and pulled myself up another foot. The space was narrow, but I would fit.

As I stuck my head through the window and into the night, the door behind me crashed open, and the two captors rushed towards my dangling legs.

I felt a hand wrap around my bare ankle, and I screamed. Another hand wrapped around my waist and they effortlessly pulled me back into the lit bathroom. I struggled against the tight grip, and thrashed to get free.

I was in a panic, trying to grasp onto the door frame as the two men wrestled me into the hallway.

"Let me go!" I screamed. I saw my father restraining my mother as they followed us down the stairs and into the living room.

"Isabella, please don't fight against this!" My mothers' pleas hit me like a brick, and I ignored her as I tried to break away from the men carrying me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw several suitcases sitting by the door. I recognized them as my own, and I realized then that my mother hadn't been doing laundry at all, but rather going through my wardrobe and packing outfits for me to take to my new _school_.

"You can't do this to me!" I screamed. They had to be some law against this! How were they able to _force_ me away from my home, and lock me away in a prison?

"You left us no choice," my father snapped. I instinctively kicked out, hoping my foot would connect with a piece of his disgusting face. I didn't hit him, but I caught one of my captors off guard and they dropped me. I didn't take a second to think, but grappled my way onto my feet. I winced as my right arm hit the floor, it still being tender.

I ran for the door, bypassing my luggage. I felt the cold air hit my face as I melted into the night. For one wild moment I thought I could run free. But as my eyes zoned in on the shadows lining the empty street, I was tackled from behind.

"No! Let me _go_!" I struggled, but knew it was no use. The stronger of the men lifted me to my feet and turned me to face my parents. My mother was standing just inside the front door, hiding behind my smirking father.

"Why does she have to be so dramatic?" I heard him mutter. He bent down to pick the bags off the floor and walked onto the lawn to face me. I struggled as I watched him bring the bags to a white van in the driveway. I noticed the same silver tree logo on the side, with the words 'Silver Academy' printed below in cursive.

_My ride to prison_.

The grip on my upper arms tightened when my father approached us.

"Bella, your mother and I didn't want to do this, but we want you to understand that this school will help you overcome all of your problems."

I'd never spit at anyone, and I'd always thought it as distasteful. That is, until the one person I hated more than anyone in the world got in _my_ face and told me _I_ had problems.

My father flinched back in horror and I smiled at his disgust.

"You little…"

"That's enough, sir," the man standing to my right said. I glanced up at his face, wanting very badly to thank him for telling him to basically shut up.

"Take her away," my father said in response. My mother remained quiet, standing half hidden under the light of the doorway. I wouldn't get to say goodbye, I knew; she wouldn't want to make a scene. I ignored the glaring man in front of me and watched my mother as I was lead to the van. I glanced at the house, memorizing the two story home that I once felt safe in. It was only three years ago that I had started looking at the house like a punishment, a peace where I was in danger and treated like a piece of vermin.

The door to the van was opened and I was forced into the large seat. With the door shut behind me, I took a deep, ragged breath. What had just happened? How did things change so quickly? Whose idea was this, how hard had they tried to resurrect me from my comatose state? Or had they? The past weeks were a blur, and time itself had been lost.

The two men climbed into the front seat and hit the automatic locks, ensuring that I wasn't able to escape. My hands were clenched into fists, aching to reach out and hit something—someone. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mother run towards the van. She didn't get to say goodbye, and I knew this would tear her up emotionally.

But _he_ stepped in front of her, and _he_ wouldn't let her come any closer. I kept my stony glare aimed to the back of the passenger seat, to the brown hair of the man occupying that seat.

"Isabella…"

"Bella." I refused to let the one name my mother and father called me come with me.

"Bella," the driver began again, "are you going to be okay?" I looked him straight in the eye for the first time. The eyes that I expected to be strict and unkind, were in fact a deep pool of cerulean blue—a forgiving and kind ocean.

"You mean am I going to come willingly?" The man paused, but nodded with a small smirk on his face. It was a decision that I had made when I spat at my father; maybe I didn't have to wait until I was eighteen and leaving for college. Maybe this was my chance to leave this town, whether it was my choice or not. Maybe I could leave _now_.

"I won't be a problem for you," I told him, and he seemed pleased. The last thing this poor man wanted was a long car ride with a difficult, problematic teenager.

The van set into motion and I took one last look at my house. My father was still preventing my mother from surging forward, a look of satisfaction on his face. The lights from all of the windows quickly disappeared from sight as we drove away. My heart was pounding with all of the sudden changes, and I started to cry.

"Since we're going to be in close confines for a while, we might as well become acquainted," the driver said, "I'm Justin and this is John." I gave both of them a weak smile. They seemed like decent people, they were just doing their jobs.

"So Justin, John, tell me about this place you're taking me." _After all,_ I added silently, _it _is_ my new home._ And that's how I learned about Silver Academy, located in Silver Bay, Minnesota.

"The director, Carlisle Cullen, really does wonders with those kids," John said, more to Justin than to me. Justin agreed, and I just looked out of the window as we left Forks.

"Um, so we're driving the entire way there?" I asked. It seemed impossible, having to drive so far away from everything I was used to. But maybe it was better for the 'healing process' the two men spoke about. I needed to be as far away from my hell as possible.

"Yes, we intend to drive the entire way there. We should arrive by morning, so if you'd like to sleep there's a pillow and blanket behind you." For a moment I wasn't going to take Justin's suggestion, but looking at the window into the night brought on a wave of exhaustion that hadn't been there before. I was not back to my full strength, so sleep was good.

Without saying anything else, I grabbed the thick blanket and pillow and took advantage of the long bench seat. The lack of light made it easier to slip into a slumber but not before my stomach seized with fear.

How would I give up everything and settle into a new school? How could I leave my mother behind with the drunken excuse of a father?

_What do I do now?_

* * *

"Bella, wake up." The demand was a sharp blow to my unconscious state, and I snapped awake. Light was streaming in the van windows, creating a spectrum of rainbow colors through the air. I could almost see the bits of dust in the air.

_My contacts_, I thought. Then it hit me; my mother must have packed them in my bags. That's why they weren't in the bathroom.

"Bella," Justin said again. I sat up this time, yawning in protest. The van was slowing to a stop in front of a large gray stone building. My mouth hung open slightly, staring at what I could only describe as a colonial home.

It was three stories high, built entirely of dark and light gray stones. Large columns rose across the front, and a cozy porch wrapped its way around the entire home.

"Is this it?" I asked. As wonderful as it looked, I could hardly imagine this being a school, no matter how grand it was.

"Oh, no, this is the main house, where the Director lives," Justin said, killing the engine. "There's a lot more to the school, just over that hill." I nodded and followed them as they left the van, wishing I had a thicker jacket on.

"Once we're inside, you can change into something warmer," John said, seeming to read my thoughts. I nodded and looked around. I had to trust what Justin said when it came to how big the school was. All around the house was just land. Land and that large hill.

I followed the tired men into the house, grateful for the immediate warmth. Like the outside, the walls were all stone. Large couches lined the walls, creating a circle of seating areas. The fireplace that lined the wall to the far right was burning bright, casting warmth into the air. Straight ahead was a hall that I assumed led off to a kitchen, and to my left was a grand stone staircase leading to the second floor.

"Bella, why don't you have a seat while we get your luggage," John said, "then the Director will be in to speak to you." I nodded again and sat on a large overstuffed green chair. It was inviting, and also ensured that no one would be able to sit next to me.

After my bags were set next to the chair, I silently laughed that Justin and John didn't leave. John had called someone quickly on his cell phone, and hung up, sagging next to his travel mate on one of the couches. Silence, but my guards didn't leave my side.

"So, how many kids go to this school?" I asked, forcing small talk. Justin thought for a moment.

"About a hundred or so," he guessed. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I honestly didn't expect that many kids at _this_ kind of school.

"Well, that's just the girls, keep in mind. There's an equal amount of guys here."

"Two hundred?" I asked in wonder. They nodded and I just remained in awe. Two hundred troubled kids, just like me apparently. But, I thought, _not_ just like me. Having someone go through the same things as me was… unthinkable. I looked around the living room and noted dozens of picture frames covering the stone walls. There were a few pictures of posing teens, some with smiles, some without. And then pictures of people rock climbing and fishing, even doing arts and crafts.

"I don't do pottery," I muttered aloud, and they laughed.

"That's what they all say." The voice came out of nowhere and I jumped. Standing, I turned to look at the man who spoke. He was in his mid-thirties and stood with confidence. He had light blonde hair and odd golden hazel eyes. He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

"You must be Isabella…"

"Bella," I interrupted. The man smiled again and nodded.

"Bella," he corrected, "I am Carlisle Cullen, Director of Silver Academy. I hope your trip was well?" It was a question, I knew, so I nodded briefly.

"Why exactly am I here?" I dared to ask.

"We'll get to that in a moment," Carlisle said calmly, "but right now I just want to get you acquainted with the school and settled in. Then we will go over your syllabus." I kept quiet.

_It's better than home, it's better than home._

I was forcing myself to be the old Bella. The girl who didn't argue with authority and went with the flow, no matter how messed up it was.

"Let's go over a few things about the school, and then I'll bring you to your room before the official tour. That way you can change into warmer clothing." Again I nodded, wondering just how cold it got here.

"So, what exactly is this school?" I asked, "A prison of some sort?" Carlisle laughed, shaking his head. He sat down on the couch across from me, glancing towards Justin and John. The two were half asleep on their shared couch, and it was almost amusing.

"You two are free to go," Carlisle told them. They smiled and stood in unison. They walked away without another word and I suddenly felt nervous to be alone with the Director.

"Silver Academy is not a prison," he started when he knew we were alone. "It is a school designed to help troubled kids get back on the right path." I just stared.

"You sound like a pamphlet," I both said and thought. He laughed though.

"If you count yourself, there are a total of two hundred and six students here. Each and every one of you is here because your loved ones want to help you." I rolled my eyes. I wanted to ask, what if the 'loved ones' were the reason behind all of us needing help? But the Director continued.

"We design your school syllabus to enhance your strengths and make you into a better person." _Okay…_ I thought.

"The students are split into groups of five or six. You will eat meals with your group, go to therapy sessions with them, and share your dorm room." I did quick math in my head, trying to figure out how many dorms there actually were; I couldn't add it up fast enough.

"So how long am I here for?" I asked. It was a simple question, but from the look I received from the Director, it was going to be a touchy subject.

"You are here until you're better." I _did_ roll my eyes that time. "Our system is based on six month increments. That's our version of a semester. No one leaves before the semester is over, and that's only if you've completed the necessary therapy sessions and if both your parents and I believe you're ready." My brain froze.

"Or until I turn eighteen," I snapped. Carlisle nodded and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. My father would never agree that I was _healed_, and therefore I was stuck here until my eighteenth birthday. My seventeenth birthday was last month, which meant just less than one year.

_A year of this?_

I opened my eyes and saw Carlisle staring at me closely. Slowly I nodded. He seemed pleased that I hadn't run for the door as of yet, therefore I was okay to actually enter the school grounds.

"Come with me Bella." I stood and grabbed the bag that Carlisle wasn't able to carry, and followed him out of the back door. It was then that I was suddenly overcome with emotion.

I was stuck here, away from my home and away from everything that I was used to. This was scary, and I had to deal with it for a _year_. Carlisle led me to a golf cart, and I was glad that I wouldn't have to carry the bags all over the school campus.

"Hop on in Bella, and I will take you straight to your room to get freshened up." Did I look like crap or something? I wondered. I sat on the small bench seat and held on as Carlisle drove along a small path that wrapped around the hill. To my left was a thick wall of trees, leading into a pitch black forest. I felt a shiver roll up my arm, and I turned my sight back to the path.

As we emerged around the hill, I let out a gasp almost immediately. I had caught my first glimpse of Silver Academy.

Straight ahead was a cluster of buildings, divided down the center by what looked like a rope obstacle course. _Military_, was what I thought when I saw the ropes suspending tires in mid air. To the left of the course were five large buildings, almost as large as the Director's house. But next to them were three other buildings, half the size. The right side of the course was a mirror of the left.

"The left side here is the girls' rooms. In each of the larger buildings are four dorms. There are five or six girls in each of the dorm rooms. The smaller buildings are for the teachers. You will hear everyone refer to them as counselors." I nodded, immediately wondering which building my room would be in.

"And as you probably already deducted, the right side of the campus is for the boys. Our number one rule is that the boys are not allowed in the girls' rooms, vice versa."

"I understand," I said. And I did. I doubted that the parents would be okay with their kids having sexual relations at school, so the rule made sense.

"And over there," Carlisle pointed to the far right, directly next to the hill we had just come around, "is the Recreation Hall, Rec Hall for short. All meals are eaten there as well as any campus activities." I was in awe. If I had been given the choice, I might have loved to come here willingly.

Carlisle led us straight to the girls' side of the campus, and for the first time I realized there was a large body of water on the other side of the buildings.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the bright blue water.

"Lake Superior." I let my mouth drop open. Just how far away from home was I? _I need a map_. The golf cart stopped in front of the building closest to the water, and I watched as Carlisle lifted the bags and led the way inside.

The building was two stories high, and reminded me of a frat house. It was made of stone, more blues and browns than gray, and the front door was large dark wood.

"This is your new home, building 1G. Follow me." I followed him up the stairs and through the front door. I took one last look at the water and followed close behind.

The front room was much like the Directors house with its couches and fireplace. But what I noticed immediately was how clean it was for housing twenty girls.

Carlisle led me up the stairs and to the right. I felt like I was in a maze, and I hoped I didn't get lost. Walking through the next door, I stopped and my eyes widened.

It was the bedroom, and it was _huge_.

"This will be your room," Carlisle explained as he walked to one of the beds. I noted how it was the barest area, and therefore I knew it was mine.

"As you can see, you will have five roommates. You'll be grouped with them because we feel you all can help each other." I nodded again, not knowing what to say. I felt like laughing, and if I nodded anymore my head would detach from my body.

Carlisle set my bags on the bed and began to unzip all of the pockets. It took me a moment to realize what he was doing, but when I did I felt the white hot flame of anger.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yelled. Carlisle turned to me and spoke very calmly.

"It is another rule, Bella. We have to search all of your belongings to make sure there isn't anything dangerous that has been brought on campus." Again, I felt the fire flicker inside me.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, my parents are the ones who packed my bags which didn't give me much of a chance to smuggle anything in." But I was ignored, and the search continued. When he was satisfied that there was indeed nothing to consider contraband, he smiled.

"This is where we part ways, Bella. I want you to get settle in and unpack. Dress warmer for the tour and your head counselor will arrive to go over your syllabus choices and show you around." I nodded, suddenly not wanting to be alone. But he left me, and I felt deflated. I sat in the bedroom, not sure what I should do first. I was alone for now, but I knew just by glancing around at the other five beds, that would not last for long. Each bed had their own style, each girls' personal possessions adorning the desks and night stands. The only thing that was the same of all the areas was the actual bed. Each one had identical white pillows, white sheets, and blue comforters.

_I feel like I'm at Girl Scout camp._

Looking to my nightstand, I noticed someone had already put up a framed photo of my parents. Standing, I removed the metal frame and dropped it into the garbage. There was _no_ way I was going to look at their faces every day.

Lifting my larger suitcase, I set it on the bed and began to organize my clothing. I noticed how my mother had packed my warmer clothes, including two snow jackets. I silently thanked her.

I refused to let panic set in as I finished emptying my clothes from the bags. The last bag was full of toiletries, and I sighed with happiness when I found the box of contact lenses tucked in a pouch. I glanced down at my hands, shrugging at the fact that I hadn't washed them, and opened the small packets. Without using a mirror, I pressed the small orbs into my eyes. Blinking quickly I smiled that I could finally see clearly. I grabbed the rest of the packets, noting that I only had enough for six months, and along with the cleaning solution and case set them in my nightstand.

Looking around, I noticed a long closet, which made up almost an entire wall of the dorm. I opened the door, immediately wondering if all the students in the room had to share the one closet. But the door opened to reveal rows of clothing, creating what looked like a walk in shopping mall. After close examination I saw that above each section was a number one through six. Glancing back at my bed, I saw a brass number four mounted to the top of the desk.

"Guess I'm number four," I muttered. Walking into the closet, I saw a corner nook, empty of clothing. And there above the shelves was a brass number four.

It didn't take long to put all of my clothing into the drawers and shelves, and I stored my suitcases in the small enclosure in the back of the closet. As I set my empty bags on a shelf, I took a moment to examine the other luggage. Coach, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana. _Oh God_. A school for kids who are having trouble with their lives? What exactly was the trouble, using their parents' credit cards?

I grabbed a pair of jeans and light jacket, changing in the closet before sitting back on the bed. Almost as if on cue, the door opened and a young woman walked in, her caramel colored hair pulled up in a tight bun.

"Bella?" she asked. She must have spoken to the Director about my name, I thought. I nodded and tried to smile.

"Hi, I'm Esme Wyatt." I noted her name mentally, knowing right away that I might need a memory jog later.

"I see you've already unpacked," Esme continued, "now I'm just going to go over all of your syllabus possibilities." Again, I tried to smile, but it never came. I felt panicky, like being thrown into the ocean when sharks were waiting for me, but I didn't know how to put my sudden fear into words for the woman watching me.

Esme's eyes studied me though, and she gave me a soft smile. Pulling the desk chair towards me, she sat down and put her hand on my knee.

"I know this is scary, Bella," she whispered as if she were afraid someone would hear us, "but I want you to know that you are not alone. You'll always have someone to talk to, whether it be your roommates, me, or any other teacher on campus." I stared at her trusting face and felt some of the fear slide away.

She was right. After all, this could be a new beginning for me.

"I'm going to show you the list of possible classes, and then we're going to choose six of them," Esme said calmly. I nodded to her and watched as she pulled a list from a binder. The classes ranged over the general studies that my high school at home offered, but what caught my eye were the elective choices.

"What is 'Teamwork'?" I asked. It seemed like an odd name for a class, and I suddenly wondered if this were even a real school.

"Teamwork is a workshop designed to help you work with other people. It ranged from the rope course you saw outside, to water activities, rock climbing, and more." I felt excitement, knowing immediately that I wanted _that_ class.

"I want that one," I said firmly. Esme smiled and checked a small box next to the class option.

"We're off to a great start!" Esme said happily. It didn't take long to go through all of my choices, and by the time all of my classes were chosen, I wanted to cause physical pain to the woman in front of me. She was so ecstatic about every choice given to me that I wondered if she wanted me to take every single class.

"Now, you won't start classes until tomorrow, so I'll make sure I show you today where all the classes will be."

"Okay, but I don't have school supplies," I started to say, thinking vaguely of my green shoulder bag sitting in my room at home.

"That's fine; I'll have someone drop some off tonight." I remained quiet after that to listen as Esme led the way out of the room and downstairs.

"I want you to feel comfortable while you're here, and feel free to roam about the living area as if you were at home." It seemed comical, having this woman smile and act like a friend, when all actuality it still felt a little like a prison.

"One question," I piped in, "Where are the bathrooms?" The tour of the house concluded with the restroom and eating area on the bottom level. It really amazed me, how much freedom they were trying to give the students.

"You're not prisoners," Esme said. I laughed. "You're just individuals who need a little nurturing and help in life. And we want you to be in control. If giving you your own space helps, then so be it." In general, it was a great philosophy, and if I was having authority problems it might help, I thought, but that wasn't my problem.

What _was_ my problem? The thought hit hard, and I felt overwhelmed. I knew school was the number one priority, and I threw that away. But what about my grieving for Ryan? What about standing up to my father, and staying away from his right hook? How were they going to help me with that?

Esme led the way outside, and I squinted against the sunlight. I felt tired, and wondered what time it was; the campus seemed void of all but a few people, who looked like teachers.

As if hearing my question, Esme smiled and pointed to the large Rec Hall building.

"It's Monday, so everyone is in group therapy right now. So this is a great chance to show you the campus."

"How often do you have group therapy?" I wondered.

"Once every week," she responded, leading the way towards the rose course, speaking over her shoulder. "You'll have two types of therapy with a group. That's your dorm group once a week and _all_ the students once a week. Then you'll have an individual therapy every week." It seemed too much to me. Three separate sessions a week? I felt pressured suddenly.

"You guys sure do like hug time," I muttered. At first I didn't think she heard me, but when I heard her laugh, I blushed.

"You'll realize sooner or later that sharing your feelings, instead of bottling them up, is better for you." I was skeptical, but didn't want to argue with her.

Esme took me on the tour of campus, explaining which places were off limits (the forest if you didn't have supervision and the teacher's cabins) and where certain classes were held. I became nervous when she told me the Teamwork class included the rope course, the lake, and a mountain on the other side of the forest.

"Where are the rest of the classrooms?" I suddenly realized. There were sleeping quarters, a Rec Hall, and that was about it.

"On the other side of the Rec Hall," Esme pointed, "do you see that smaller hill next to the building?" I nodded, and followed her as she walked closer.

"There's a building there for the Math, English, and History classes. But be forewarned that a lot of the classes are not held in actual classrooms." My eyebrows went up.

"We don't want the students to feel caged and forced to stay in a generic environment. If our school can show you the world and how to use the environment for your knowledge, then we're one stop closer to healing everyone."

Oh Lord, she was a walking hymn, I thought. But I didn't dare disagree with her, and just followed behind.

As the tour came to a close, Esme began to fill me in on miscellaneous rules.

"There is a nightly curfew, eight every night. The _only_ way you are excused from curfew is if I know. A teacher must speak to me and let me know before the final curfew bell rings." Eight o'clock curfew? At least some things haven't changed.

"A siren will go off about ten minutes before eight o'clock to warn everyone. Also…" My head was swimming.

"Isolation." She had stopped walking, as if this would help me understand the gravity of such 'isolation'. The tone of her voice became like a judge, telling me I was being sentenced to life in prison.

"Isolation is somewhat like detention," Esme described, "only for a longer period of time. It's a room located in the Director's house. It's used for students who have broken the rules. And I don't mean breaking curfew or being disobedient in class. I mean close to expulsion." I imagined a prison chamber with a dirty bed and a toilet, bars as a door.

"So how do you get sent there?" I wondered.

"We've only had to use isolation two times in three years. Once someone set fire to the rope course, and the other for breaking a fellow students' arm." Esme began walking again, still talking.

"Depending on the crime, one may stay in isolation for up to 72 hours." To me, isolation wasn't sounding so bad.

"Okay, do you have any questions Bella?" I didn't, at least not then. I looked around the campus, at each of the buildings and at the large Rec Hall that held all of the students and staff. Would they like me? Would it matter?

"No." I was led back to my room, and told that group therapy would let out in less than half an hour. This left time for me to be alone and re-cooperate before another round of chaos. I sat alone in the room after she left, waiting for reality to crash into me. I felt physically and mentally exhausted, having gone from a catatonic state at home, to being forced to interact with strangers here.

Was this really what I had been forced to endure? I looked around the spotless room and realized I felt somewhat calm at the fact that my father was not on the other side of that door.

* * *

**Thank you for reading the chapter! I'm excited in the direction of the story, so please review so I know I have your back. Until later! ~Ashley**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to '_ChelDreams_' Because you're so damn freaking cool.**

**Okay I know it's quick to post the chapters this close together, but a wise source told me that if I get the storyline going, then people might be more receptive of the story and how different the characters are. So, since I have the chapter READY, here goes lol. **

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do however, own a purple Lisa Frank trapper keeper circa 1993. Remember those things?? I found it in a box while throwing out old stuff. Just can't seem to part with it though.**

* * *

My gaze drifted over the room and settled to the window between the closet door and my bed. Standing up, I took in the scenery outside. I almost wanted to gasp, it was so breathtaking. From that window I could see the lake and the forest beyond the campus. Small waves lapped over the sand and I noticed then that there was a lifeguard stand. Did this mean there was open swimming in the summer time? I imagined the water filled with kids, laughing and splashing each other. Would it be like that? Would everybody be happy? Ryan's face flashed in my mind, and I wondered if I could every be happy like that again.

The door opened then, and I jumped. Two girls were staring in at me, studying me skeptically.

"So, you the girl Esme told us was coming?" the first girl asked. I nodded as I stared at her warily. She was a tall girl, blonde hair, and a contemptuous look in her blue eyes. Behind her stood an equally tall girl, who looked like she stepped off the cover of an exotic modeling magazine.

"I'm Angela," the exotic girl spoke up, stepping around her companion. Her eyes were bright green, framed with rimless glass which blended well with her caramel colored hair. I smiled at her, feeling warmth radiate from across the room.

"I'm Rosalie," the blonde girl spoke up. I felt calmer now that they'd spoken to me, and I felt my shoulders relax.

"Hi, I'm Bella," I tried to make my voice steady, but I could hear it crack. I heard more footsteps from behind Angela, and a short dark skinned girl appeared, staring at me with wide brown eyes.

"Hello! I am Madie." The aura around her burst of energy and I smiled. Her accent was thick and most likely middle eastern. "You are Bella, yes? Esme told us yesterday that you were coming. I'm happy to see a new face. The other girls are becoming very boring." The three laughed and walked to their beds, sitting down.

"Alice and Dee are coming up now," Madie said to me, "you'll like them I think." Before her sentence was done, two other girls came in, laughing to each other.

"Alice! Dee! This is Bella," Madie introduced us. Dee ignored me and walked straight to the closet, but Alice stood in the center of the room, studying me.

"Hey," she said. I cleared my throat as silently as possible, hoping not to give away my feeling of unease.

"Hello." The girl continued to stare at me while to whole room, except for Dee, watched. I became fidgety as the seconds passed, and I suddenly became annoyed.

"What are you staring at?" I snapped. The room burst into laughter, and Alice smiled at me.

"Yeah, she's okay," she said. Everyone seemed to relax after that, and I sat down on my bed, not sure what I needed to do.

"So, what are you in here for?" Rosalie asked. She sat down on her bed with a deck of cards, shuffling them quickly and masterfully. I thought for a moment, wondering if they were expecting drama.

"I wouldn't get out of bed," I answered eventually. Rosalie and Angela exchanged a look, and I could tell they didn't believe me. Technically that was the reason my parents sent me here, because I refused to do anything. They would never know the real reason. They would never know that I had started to die inside. Did I care?

Madie came and sat down next to me on my bed, her eyes wide and expecting.

"I'm here because I wouldn't listen to my parents. It sounds simple enough, but with parents like mine, they expect me to do everything that I'm told to." I wanted to laugh, but wasn't sure if it was appropriate. Rosalie spoke up though, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm a cutter," she said. Angela laughed and turned to me.

"She's not a hard core cutter." Rosalie looked up at her with annoyance.

"I didn't know there was an amateur league," she snapped. Angela laughed. I realized then that the exotic girl had an exotic accent to go with her looks.

"Where are you from?" I asked her impulsively. She just smiled, white teeth gleaming.

"I'm from Morocco, but I've been an American citizen since last year." Angela pulled a chair up to Rosalie's bed and Rosalie began to deal a hand of cards to her.

"I'm here because of my need for designer handbags," Angela admitted, grinning sheepishly. I looked confused for a moment, and Alice piped in.

"She stole a total of, what was it, twenty six handbags? It equaled over ten thousand dollars." Angela nodded, and her smile never left her face.

"It was either the juvenile detention center, or here. I chose here." I felt uneasy as Alice spoke again.

"I burnt my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's house down. Like Angela, it was jail or here." And suddenly my feelings of unease were justified. Most of these girls were criminals. What did I do? Get expelled from a public school? How was my situation the same as theirs?

"I recognize that look," Rosalie said. My eyes few to hers, and I blushed.

"No, no…" I began, but she cut in.

"Girl, it's okay. We aren't going to hurt you. Well, maybe Dee will." My eyes flew to the girl who hadn't spoken yet, and my heart fluttered nervously. She was standing against the closet door, in a new outfit than when she came in with. One thing I noticed immediately was that her outfit matched perfectly, and was pristine.

"I killed three people," she said, looking directly at me. Yep, my heart stopped. A moment of silence, and then laughter again.

"What is this, initiation?" I panicked. They were all laughing, and Dee held her hands up.

"Sorry, I had to have some fun." Dee pushed away from the wall and slightly hit Madie's head as she walked by. "I'm here for excessive fighting. The _professional's_ call it anger issues." I tried to calm my nerves as I glanced around the room. The girls all seemed so normal, not exactly what I was expecting.

I studied Alice a little closer then, mainly because she wasn't exactly the model of my textbook definition of normal. She was short, uneven black hair pulled back in a small ponytail. Hair clips were scattered all over her head to hold the stray hairs down. Her eyes were hazel, and very alert. Tattoos covered her wrists, looking like black barbed wire, and silver hoped earrings covered the length of her ear lobes.

"The boyfriend did the tattoos," Alice said. My face grew warm again, and I apologized.

"No, it's cool. At least you're not looking at them in disgust like most people do." I laughed and continued to watch the girls interact with each other. Rosalie and Angela were playing what looked to be poker, and Madie had become a spectator to their game. Alice was leaning against the headboard with a sketchpad in hand. Her pencil was flying across the paper, and every few seconds her eyes would drift to the poker game. I noticed soon that Dee was brushing her short blonde hair back, and putting sneakers on her feet.

"Okay, I'm off," she announced. "I'll be back before dinner." And she was gone.

"She has private therapy," Madie answered my silent wondering. I looked around the room again and I could feel a smile tug at my lips. So this was how everyone spent their evenings? I could get used to this.

I ended up relaxing in my bed until dinner that evening. My roommates were generally very calm, and I appreciated that. They walked with me to the Rec Hall, Alice's arm intertwined with mine. I was grateful they weren't sending me in alone, and I knew that if I _had_ been alone, I never would have gone and just stayed in bed.

Students from all of the buildings flocked to the building, and I tried to blend in with the crowd. My eyes flew quickly across the campus, looking at the students that were walking beside my group. They all seemed simple enough, some with wild haircuts and some with a piercing in places I didn't think would feel comfortable. But overall, they seemed peaceful as the people I went to school with back home. I thought curiously about why they were all here, and I wondered if I would ever find out.

My eyes were, once again, wide as I entered the building. It looked like an extremely large cabin, but just the one room. The walls were all brown stone with wooden floors, and long brown picnic tables stretched across the room so the students had somewhere to sit. At the end of the room was a cafeteria, all of the food laid out for everyone to pick through like a buffet. At the opposite end was a fireplace, flames roaring.

"It looks like a ski lodge," I realized aloud. Alice nodded and led me towards the food line.

"Yeah, except we're not exactly here to ski." So true, I thought. The food smelled great, I realized, but my appetite hadn't fully been restored. I picked up a tray and chose a plate of what looked to be chicken alfredo, telling myself that I didn't want to give the impression of an eating disorder on my first day. I wasn't used to being in a cafeteria where there weren't ladies in fish net hair pieces and there weren't scowling people waiting to take my money for disgusting food.

Alice led me to a table where our other roommates were sitting, and I noticed that other girls from our building were sitting at the large table. Introductions began, and I realized a lot of the girls were automatically shutting themselves off from me.

"What's with them?" I asked Alice. She waved her hand at them and swallowed the mouthful of food she'd been chewing.

"You'll notice soon that people are really personal here. Others, hell even us, only really open up to our roommates. Yeah, they'll say hi to you because we all live in the same building, but they won't be as close to you." She sounded so natural at this, and I felt grateful.

"Thank you," I felt compelled to say. Alice's eyes went wide.

"For what?" she asked.

"For… I don't know. Not being a stranger." She smiled at me, and we continued to eat. Across from me, Madie shoveled chili into her mouth, quickly finishing her plate.

"I grew up with six brothers and sisters," she laughed when she saw me watch in fascination, "if you don't eat fast, you don't eat at all!" Everyone spoke for the next half hour, occasionally asking me random questions. It felt easy enough, interacting with everyone, not much like I thought it would be. I expected a prison, an institution for delinquents.

I looked around the cafeteria and saw a wall of multi-colored papers taped up.

"I'll be right back," I said to the girls, and I stood up with my tray. Dispensing it at the window, I approached the wall, gazing at the large wall of announcements that graffitied the stone.

_Talent Show… Group Therapy… Birthday's…_

I groaned as I saw the large calendar that was filled with names, showing every students birthday. Looking closely, I realized every name was a sticker, applied when I could only assume was the arrival of said student. My eyes automatically gravitated to September 13th. There, in generic font, was 'Isabella'. I glanced around, making sure I wasn't being watched, and I peeled my name off the tiny square.

"Those are there so we can all celebrate," a voice spoke from behind me. I jumped and turned, tucking the sticker into my pocket. My heart skipped and started beating erratically.

"Now what are we going to do on the thirteenth of September?" the stranger kept speaking. He was clearly not a student, looking older than the teenagers that ate at the tables behind us. Brown hair cut fairly short, as if it were once a military style, I noticed immediately a large scar behind his left ear, beneath his hair. The short hair grew around it though and I could see it fairly easily. His head turned, and piercing grey eyes met mine. The contrast in his eyes to his dark eyebrows and long lashes made me study his features in detail, wanting to memorize the way he stared at me. My ability to speak failed me, and his eyes continued to stare into mine. For some reason, I could tell he wasn't expecting me to speak, but his gaze spoke to me in more words than necessary.

"Your secret is safe with me," he whispered, leaning closer. My heart pounded louder, and he stared. No more words were exchanged, and a moment later he took a step back and turned to walk away, looking back to me only once to smile.

My mouth was filled with cotton as I watched him walk away, waving several times to different people. Who was he? Surely not a student, but maybe a teacher? I wasn't sure.

"Bella, let's go!" I heard Rosalie's voice from behind me. I watched the retreating back of the mysterious man for just a few more seconds and then drifted towards my roommates at the door.

Should I ask them who he was? No, I thought, that would start things, teasing and rumors that would be based on one lousy question.

When we got back to the room, a black school bag was sitting on my bed. Opening it, I saw several notebooks and a pouch full of pens and pencils.

"Lucky," Alice said from behind me, "when they replaced my bag last month they gave me red." I laughed and turned the bag upside down to empty it onto my bed.

"Trade," I demanded. Her eyes widened and she squeaked. I laughed as she pulled her red bag from next to her bed and emptied it. I threw the black bag to her and I could tell it was like an early Christmas for her. I grabbed my night gown then and headed to the restrooms.

While getting ready for bed, I thought of tomorrow and how my classes would go. Would it be like regular school, or would the fact that all of the students were 'troubled' make it different?

My mind was flying with the events that happened within the past twenty four hours. From a comatose state to being taken away. A twinge of happiness flittered through me when I thought about not being near Charlie anymore. Could it really be this easy? Is that all I had to do, not get out of bed, and they send me away? But I knew it wasn't that easy. I lost Ryan to get here. Ryan, dear Ryan. My heart and mind betrayed me just then as I thought of the mysterious man in the Rec Hall. The way he looked at me made me feel like I was the only person in the room.

No, I couldn't think like this.

Lying in the dark later that night, I listened to the other girls snore while I looked out the window. I was glad my bed was perfectly aligned with the wall so that the sky was visible. The moon was full, and I watched it was my eyelids grew heavy. I fell asleep that night, thinking of my new classes and watched as a bird flew across the white of the moon.

* * *

My first official day of school, and my stomach was churning. I didn't eat breakfast, and now I regretted that as I sat next to Alice in my first class of the day. We were sitting in the grass next to the rope course, waiting for our Teamwork class to begin. That morning as we were all getting ready, I compared my schedule with the other girls and realized that each of my classes was shared with someone, if not more than one of them. This made it easier on me as I gathered courage to step out of the room.

Now I sat in the sun, looking at the mess of ropes that held up tires, and extended thirty feet in the air. I wondered briefly if they used this on a daily basis, or just when the teacher felt torturous. Either way, the thought made me want to cry.

"Good morning class," a voice spoke. I turned to look at my new teacher, and my heart jumped. Grey eyes were looking directly at me, and I wanted to sink into the ground or move to place myself behind Alice. It was the man from the cafeteria—my secret keeper.

"We have a new student with us," he spoke, "everyone please say hello to Bella." My face was warm, scarlet I was sure, and my eyes flew to the grass. Alice gripped my hand as everyone laughed and scattered 'hello's' hung in the air. Why didn't he call me Isabella like everyone else? He must have been told that I didn't like it, I fathomed.

"Well, wasn't that pleasant," the man laughed. My eyes ascended back to him and I found that he was still watching me.

"I'm Edward," he said to me, and I found myself smiling. He held my gaze for another moment and then turned to the rest of the class.

"You all know what it means when we have a new student!" Cheers erupted from the group of twenty, and I turned to Alice.

"What's going on?" Alice's hazel eyes were excited as she pulled at my arm to make me stand.

"It's tradition. When there's a new student we go through the rope course," she said, "which is great because we don't get to use the course as much as you would think." I nodded and watched as everyone dropped their school bags and crowded around the base of a large pole. I took a closer look around me and saw how all the students automatically started going through a pile of ropes and what looked to be harnesses. Letting my eyes wander, my attention was captured by the rock wall, and I hoped that we would be using that as well.

I practically clung to Alice as I watched Edward approach me. If he was a teacher, how old did that make him? Again my mind flew immediately to Ryan, and I felt guilty. I didn't have much time to think of anything else, because Edward was a foot in front of me.

"Hello Bella, welcome to my class."

"Hi," I tried to smile back. Alice stood to the side, but watched as I spoke with him. Edward's eyes were like magnets, and it was hard to look away. He stood a good six or seven inches above me, if not more, and I had to incline my head up just to see his face. Again, my eyes wanted to look at the scar below his left ear, but I didn't want to be rude.

"We don't do the same thing every day," Edward spoke, "I like to give a mixture of lessons. But you'll get the idea of the things that will be expected of you." I watched as a few boys attached harnesses to their waists, and then worked to attach rope to the harness.

"The first task is the pole," Edward pointed out. The pole was about thirty feet off the ground, maybe wide enough for someone to stand on; just one person. "One person climbs to the top, stands fully straight and then jumps forward to grab onto the trapeze bar." When he pointed out the jumping part, I saw a bar hanging mid air roughly six feet away from the pole.

"You want me to climb thirty feet in the air and jump?" I asked. The people around us within hearing distance laughed. He had to be joking. How was this an educational class? My view of the course was blocked when Edward stepped in front of me and leaned forward, dropping his voice.

"There is no reason to be scared of this," he said calmly to me. I could feel his breath on my cheeks, and I breathed in the cool scent. "Everyone has a partner in the course. I was standing in as Emmett's partner, but we're going to be even now. I want you to pair up with Alice." Alice grinned at me, and I was relieved to have her there with me.

I sat back and watched as each student climbed the pole, and balanced themselves on the top. Each person closed their eyes, obviously not wanting to look down. Not many of them were able to grab hold of the bar, and they fell to the ground. I eyed the rope uneasily, wondering if it would hold me when I fell. But one thing I noticed was that each person had someone at the bottom, cheering them on.

_So this is teamwork_, I thought. And then it was my turn. Alice and Edward worked together to attach the harness to my waist, and I swallowed hard when Alice put a helmet in my hands.

"Don't worry about the helmet," Edward said softly as he lifted it and set it carefully over my hair, "it's only for safety reasons. You won't really need it." Edward's fingers held onto the helmet straps and clipped them together beneath my chin. I closed my eyes when I felt his fingers brush along my skin, instantly ashamed. I wasn't allowed to have a crush on anyone; it wasn't right. I wasn't allowed to feel this way.

I felt Edward's fingers pause when the chin strap was clipped shut, and I felt warmth. My eyes opened and when I looked at him, he looked confused.

"Let's do this!" Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Edward. I shook my head clear of my weird thoughts, and let my fear finally sink in. I stood at the base of the pole, fingering the large splinters and wondering if it would hurt if I fell. I could feel the class staring at my back, and I knew that now was not the time to chicken out. I needed to prove to everyone that I wasn't going to be the new girl who sat back and quit.

Was that really what I wanted to do, or did I just not want to be a weak person in front of Edward? I could feel his eyes on the back of my head, and I remembered the look of confusion that was in his eyes. Almost as if he understood the same things I was thinking. I laughed to myself, knowing my thoughts were asinine.

Slowly I put my fingers into the notches embedded in the pole, and started my climb. I looked straight, memorizing the grain in the wood and concentrating on lifting my feet and pushing upwards. Only when my eyes were able to see over the top and I could see the blue of the lake did my heart pound loudly into my chest.

I was thirty feet in the air and the only way down was to jump.

"Come on Bella! You can do this!" Alice's voice was so encouraging, and I smiled to myself, repeating her words over and over again in my head.

It was hard to stand atop the pole, and there was maybe a foot of space all the way around. After a few minutes, my shaky legs were the only thing supporting me from falling. My arms were out to my sides, like a newborn bird learning how to fly. Encouraging yells from my classmates below hit me, and only when I heard the entire class clapping did I completely open my eyes.

The feeling of being on top of the world was glorious. I no longer felt scared or nervous; it felt natural. The breeze blew strands of my hair around the helmet, and pushed the trapeze bar around the open space in front of me. I stared at the bar and measured the distance I needed to jump. _Five feet. Not that far._

I looked down to the class, looking for the encouraging face of my roommate, but froze when I saw that Edward was staring straight at me. It wasn't that he was looking at me, I realized quickly, because he was the teacher and it was his job. But it was the fact that even from thirty feet away I could see his grey eyes, and every detail of his face. It was as clear as if he were standing a foot away. My heart beat was out of control, and I found that I couldn't look away from him. I saw the wind swirl around him, ruffling the shirt that he wore. And then he smiled, and the slightest of nods was directed to me. Such a small acknowledgement on his part, but I smiled and let myself nod in return.

"You can do it!" Alice's voice broke into my train of thought, and my vision snapped back, almost like a rubber band recoiling back into my face. I looked away from the haunting grey eyes and took a deep breath. Extending my arms out to the side, I bent my legs and pushed away from the safety of the pole. The rush I felt as I flew through the air was nothing compared to the happiness I felt when my fingers wrapped around the bar. I didn't fall like the others, and I swung like a circus performer as I hung suspended in air.

"I did it!" I screamed into the air. I felt joy, I felt accomplishment. Actually, the miracle was that I _felt_. There was a tugging in my rope and I released the bar carefully, allowing my classmates to lower me to the ground.

Alice was there, cheering as I was released from the harness. I searched the crowd around me until I found Edward. He approached me, the same smile he gave me when I was in the air, still on his face.

"Great job Bella." I smirked at him, wondering why my stomach fluttered when he looked at or spoke to me.

"Thanks," I said breathlessly. He merged back into the crowd, directing the next team to another part of the rope course. I was forced to forget about my bewildering feelings as Alice began talking to me, claiming my attention for the rest of the class.

* * *

Classes here were close to two hours long, I realized as I walked to the building on the other side of the Rec Hall. I had Art next, and I was glad this class was with Alice as well. Since I had arrived yesterday, I had taken a liking to Alice, and saw quickly that I could be friends with her. She had to run to the room to grab something she forgot, but had told me to forge ahead to the next class.

While on my way, I thought about my Teamwork class. It seemed more like a workshop, but after class that day Alice assured me that with each day we learned the underlying meaning of the lesson. Edward taught us about working together, about how to follow the rules and how to push yourself to be more than you thought you can do.

Edward. I wasn't sure what to think. It was day two, and already I was getting myself into trouble. I defined my trouble as developing a crush, a crush that made my heart _feel._ I wanted to cry, the emotions were running wildly through me. Since Ryan's death and since I'd gotten home from the hospital I felt dead inside. A void within my chest that threatened to swallow me whole. And then I come here, and I could feel a trickle of _something _start to fill that void. How can this happen that easily? How can a group of complete strangers make me feel wanted? I knew the answer: Because the people in my life who _weren't_ strangers were the one's who had _created_ the empty feeling.

"Bella!" I turned and saw Alice running towards me, black school bag swinging from her shoulder.

"Damn girl, I yelled your name a million times. Where was your mind?" I blushed, not wanting to admit what I was thinking about.

"Sorry about that. Did you get everything you needed?" We walked to the building, me listening to Alice describe her Woodshop class that she would have next hour.

"It's an awesome class; you should look into taking it next semester. That is if you're still here." I laughed, wondering briefly if I _would_ be there next semester. For all I knew, my parents would deem me cured and send me home. But, I realized, they probably didn't care. Hell, I'd already been here a full day and they hadn't contacted me. I was officially the forgotten child, sent away to a boarding school so that all the neighbors didn't have reasons to ask questions.

"Here we are," Alice said. We walked into the classroom, and I noted right away that the normal wooden door was covered completely with splatters of paint, creating a rainbow. The room was easily large enough to fit three of our dorm rooms in there.

"Wow," was all I said. Alice led me to the corner of the class, where two pottery wheels sat.

"Pottery?" I asked. Alice recognized the tone of voice and laughed.

"Yeah, I know. Believe it or not, they say it is supposed to calm us. I don't have a straight answer for the Director, because when I get in here I'm so worn out from Teamwork. Maybe you'll have more energy than me and be able to confirm or deny that assumption." And that was how my class went. The 'new kid' introduction began again, and we were left to our clay. Alice showed me how to work the wheel, and moments later I was on my own.

"This _is_ somewhat calming," I said aloud. Alice chucked and pumped the foot pedal, making her wheel turn.

"It's also why I sit here in the corner. I can practically talk to myself and no one would hear me." We sat in silence and I concentrated on my mound of clay, attempting to sculpt it into the shape of a vase.

"How did you like the Teamwork class?" Alice asked me quietly. My face unintentionally grew warm, and I cleared my throat.

"Ahh, so you like Edward," she whispered. My foot slipped off the pedal and a loud _clank_ sounded through the room. Most of the class turned to stare, so I waited until everyone had turned back to their wheel to stare at Alice in shock.

"How did you…" Alice smiled and kept her voice low.

"It's a fact that just about every girl who takes his class develops some kind of crush on him. But it only lasts a few months, and then they actually see him as a teacher." My face was burning with embarrassment at the fact that I had been discovered.

"You're secret is safe with me," Alice said. I smiled at the words, just having heard them the night before.

"Can you indulge on my childish crush for my amusement?" I asked carefully. Alice didn't find my request odd at all, and nodded.

"What do you know about him?" I asked quietly. Alice glanced around us to make sure no one was listening, and kept her voice low.

"Well, his full name is Edward Masen. He's twenty-two or twenty-three, I think, although he only looks like twenty." I nodded, understanding that he didn't look that old. "He's been working here for about four years, and the rumor is that he used to be a student here himself, although no one has been able to confirm or deny that." I stared at her, in awe of her knowledge.

"How long have you been here?" I asked her, realizing I didn't know how long any of the girls in my dorm had been there.

"It's been about two and a half years," she answered steadily. My eyes went wide, and I felt pity.

"Don't worry," she said, catching the look I gave her, "I've only got nine more months and then I'm free." I nodded, wondering if _I_ would have to wait until I was eighteen to be free.

The class flew by after that, and I left feeling like my blob of clay deserved a proper burial. I didn't have to go very far, and I met with Madie for Math. I was kept entertained in the class, between the teacher (who's legal name was Barbie, which matched her blonde hair and stick figure), and Madie excitingly talking my ear off.

She walked me to the Rec Hall, talking through the food line, and all the way to the table.

"You talk a lot," I said blatantly. The other girls laughed, including Madie.

"I have ADHD, and I won't take medicine for it. It's a choice, really." I laughed at her, and slowly picked at my food while listening to the conversation around me. My eyes were wondering over the crowd, looking at the different tables, the different students. It amazed me, the variety of styles that dotted the crowd. A majority of the kids sported a punk look—piercings and tattoos, lots of black. One guy even had had a blue Mohawk, which clearly was his expression of individuality. But then there were some who were like Angela and Rosalie, normal jeans and shirts. I didn't want to classify everyone, and become a typical snob, but I could see the different styles pair up and seclude themselves from everyone else.

I looked at the tables on the other side of the lodge, mostly at the tables that held the boys. I noticed then that the tables were segregated boys and girls, just like the dorms. Were we not allowed to eat lunch together? I asked the girls, and Rosalie looked at the boys with a weird look.

"It's not that we aren't allowed," She said, "we just don't." And then their conversation continued. I sighed, pushing around my bowl of clam chowder, letting my eyes wander over the students again. I choked on my own air when I saw Edward Masen leaning against the opposite wall. Staring at me.

"You okay?" Alice asked. I worked on clearing my throat, giving her a smile. I was afraid of looking back at the wall, feeling foolish for not acting slightly more mature and collected. When my throat was clear, I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to look back to Edward.

He was still there, but this time with the Director standing next to him. Edward was still staring at me, openly holding my gaze. His mouth was moving, speaking to Carlisle in what looked like a hushed tone. And then Carlisle turned and looked at me. He said a few words and I found myself staring at them as they held their conversation. It was like a showdown, two against one. What was going on? Carlisle looked away, said something to Edward, and then left the building. But Edward stood his ground, holding my gaze. His grey eyes searched mine, and I gulped in air, trying to stay strong. I'd never met anyone who I would hold eye contact with, and so openly.

'_Finally'_. I jumped, realizing the voice in my head was not my own. But I couldn't make sense of anything as I watched Edward push away from the wall. He gave me one last look and turned to leave behind Mr. Cullen.

"That was weird," a voice whispered in my ear. I turned to Alice, eyes wide.

"You saw that too?" I asked urgently. She nodded and kept her eyes on the wall where Edward was.

"Yeah, not sure what it was about though." She left it at that and turned to the other conversation. I sat quietly, leveling my heart rate. I felt out of place, suddenly awkward. Why were they staring at me like that, especially so open in front of the school?

My thoughts were still on that frequency as my table dispersed, and Rosalie walked with me to our History class.

* * *

**Okay, so it's rollin! Edward has been introduced, and I basically have a different concept for his character. You'll notice with my work that I don't make them vampires haha. So please review after you have read this, send me love. I'll post chapter four quicker that way (after all, I do have it written). Love, Ashley**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so I'm posting this chapter and then Chapter five directly after. I just didn't know where to end it without breaking the flow, and without creating some sort of cliff hanger that I didn't want. Again, sorry, I'm just trying to avoid a thirteen thousand word chapter. So I'm breaking it down and making it _smooth. _haha.**

**Also, I am officially pulling my time in several directions. I am helping someone beta their story, so I'm focusing on more than one thing at a time. But don't worry, I won't forget about my story. In fact I'll probably end up focusing on it more because of it. **

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do, however, own a quart of chocolate milk. The hubby got it for me tee hee! I love chocolate milk. ~Ashley**

* * *

Group therapy for my dorm room was held on Wednesday's, as was my private therapy. Esme had come to me the morning of and handed me a paper that had all the times.

"It's the same schedule every week, so after a couple of weeks, you will get used to it." I didn't argue with her, but eyed my sheet warily. The dorm therapy was supervised by Esme herself, and the second person was listed as 'Rotate'.

"It means that every week a different teacher stands in," Dee offered to me before breakfast. "I think it's so that we become close with the entire staff, although it just made me uncomfortable to begin with. If you want to open up anywhere in the beginning, aim for private sessions." I took her advice to heart, and told myself that I wouldn't say anything in the group therapy that evening.

But as we all sat on our beds that evening, I cracked my knuckles in anticipation. Everyone seemed to be so calm, and I wondered if I was overreacting. Alice had told me that the Director had accompanied Esme last week, and that got me wondering who would be there today. I hadn't met all of the staff yet, and if it was someone I didn't know; I wasn't sure if I would be able to open up to a stranger.

When five o'clock hit, the door opened and Esme walked in. With Edward. _Are you freaking kidding me?_ I asked myself. I looked up to the ceiling, wondering if there was a hidden camera waiting to capture my heart attack on film.

"Good evening everyone, you all know Mr. Masen." Everyone said hello, except for me. Esme and Edward pulled chairs towards the center of the room, and faced us with smiles.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" Esme asked. 'Fine's' and 'okay's' hung in the air, and I gathered the courage to finally look at Edward. He was smiling at me, a glint of humor in his eyes. Did he realize this was awkward for me, or was he oblivious to it all and just generally friendly? I took a deep breath and turned away, telling myself that I had to keep my mind clear of all thoughts, and concentrate on the group discussion. But then I had the horrible thought of actually opening up and talking about my problems in front of Edward.

"Bella, since this is your first therapy session, I'm going to open the floor to you first. Is there anything you would like to share with everyone, as to why you're here?" I was embarrassed, that was for sure. Being put on the spot was not something that I wanted, and now I had seven people staring at me, wanting to hear my life story. I took a deep breath and gave them the same answer I did on the first day.

"I'm here because I wouldn't get out of bed," I said calmly. Madie laughed and Edward smiled. I figured they would know this wasn't the truth, but they didn't seem like the type of people to push me. Esme waited another moment, and I raised my eyebrows, letting her know I wasn't going to share anymore with them at this time.

"Okay, I guess we'll start off where we left last week." I expelled my chest filled with air and was instantly glad that Esme had the topic of conversation picked out.

"Last week we were finishing up how lies were ruling our lives," Esme said with an upbeat tone. I saw Edward nod from the corner of my eye, and I wondered what exactly everyone had been saying at the previous meeting.

"This week," Esme continued, "we're going to do a group exercise and learn to recognize the difference between truth and lies." Esme unearthed a stack of small notepads and pens.

"I'm going to give each of you a notebook and pen, and I want you to write down two truths and a lie. Anything you want to write about, and after we say them aloud, I want the others to figure out which of them is the lie." My attention was captured, and I accepted the notebook from Esme's outstretched hand.

"You all have five minutes to work on this, so you may begin now." I took one last look at the room and saw that everyone already had their heads bent over their papers. What was I going to write about? I would start with the Truth's, which was easy enough.

_I play the viola._ Okay, first one done. I realized after a minute that writing something about yourself was harder than you would think. I tapped my pen on the paper and looked around the room again. Alice was done, leaning back against her pillow and picking at her nails. Dee was chewing on the end of her pen, eyes closed; I couldn't tell if she was done or thinking. Rosalie was writing vigorously, a mirrored image of Angela. I looked finally to Madie, hoping that she would look as confused as me. But instead she was attempting to balance her pen on the tip of her finger, a look of concentration on her face. I wanted to cry, realizing that I was the only one not knowing what to do.

"Everything okay?" A voice asked in a whisper. Edward was standing next to me, leaning over my shoulder. I had to stop myself from covering my paper, and I cleared my throat.

"Harder than it looks," I responded. Edward nodded and sat next to me on the bed. My heart was pounding, and I instinctively looked up to Alice. She was sitting on her bed, looking at us with her mouth open in shock. Slowly, she smiled and I saw her body shake with laughter. I wanted to hide under a rock.

"Do you need help thinking of the lie or the truth?" Edward asked. I turned my attention away from Alice and back to my paper. I thought for a moment, thinking which was most important.

"I guess both," I muttered. Edward took the paper from my hands and glanced at what I had written down, and he smiled.

"Okay, well let's think of facts. Are you a single child, or are there other girls running around at home that look just like you?" My heart skipped and I felt the nervous butterflies in my stomach.

"Only child," I whispered. Edward nodded and reached for my pen. He wrote 'Only child' on the paper, and turned back to me. His piercing gaze caught me off guard, and I felt every inch of my body freeze.

"So you have two truths," he whispered so that no one could hear, "It's up to you to come up with a lie. Thinking of a lie is hard because most people don't set out in life thinking how to be untruthful to someone. So I want you to think of a lie that seems could be truthful to anyone but you." I nodded and watched as he stood and set the paper back on my bed. His handwriting stretched across the paper, an odd comparison to my own. He had gone back to his perch next to Esme, and I forced myself to breathe again.

"One minute everyone," Esme said. I racked my brain for a lie, wondering why it was so hard for me to lie to myself. Quickly I wrote something down and leaned back against the headboard.

"Okay, we're going to start with Madie," Esme said, encouraging my roommate to stand and share her list.

"Number one, I am a fantastic swimmer. Number two, I was taught to sew when I was six by my grandmother. Last, I have six brothers and sisters." Madie set her list down with a smile on her face. I wanted to laugh as she stood anxiously for us to take guesses. I knew right away that she had six brothers and sisters; she had told me the other day. But I had no idea about the others. I guess that was how this exercise was going to work, we were supposed to think of the person's personality and figure out what was the truth and what wasn't.

Everyone muttered to each other as Madie stood happily, thinking she had everyone fooled. I thought about her sewing and wanted to laugh to myself. Madie, sitting still and sewing for an extended length of time?

"She doesn't know how to sew," I spoke up. Everyone turned to me, not talking, and I saw Esme smile.

"Why do you say that?" I felt suddenly uncomfortable, and wished I hadn't spoken at all.

"Well, the idea of Madie sitting down in one place and holding a needle to sew two pieces of fabric together doesn't seem like a possibility." Madie laughed and nodded.

"She's right! I don't think I could do that to save my life!" Everyone joined in with the laughter as Madie sat down. I felt a tingle of happiness in my stomach, glad that I had decided to speak up. Before I knew it, Esme was staring at me and waiting for me stand up and share what was on my paper with the rest of the group.

I stood nervously, wondering if I would be as transparent as I felt. Clearing my throat, I read my list.

"First is that I play the viola. The second, I am an only child." After I read Edward's handwriting, I looked up to him and saw that he was smiling. For some reason, this gave me what I needed to raise my voice and feel more confident. As I held Edward's watchful eyes, I told my lie.

"And last, I am allergic to chocolate." The muttering began, and I let my eyes flitter to the floor.

"Well, I saw you eyeing the viola yesterday in class," Angela said thoughtfully, "so I'm going to say that you've played before. So that's a truth." I smiled and nodded. She was observant, and I remembered how I stood in the music room, staring at the stringed instruments with a longing. I didn't know when I would be able to pick up the instrument again, but in the mean time I was sticking to singing with a small group of classmates.

"And we've never heard you say anything about a sibling before, so that's another truth," Alice said. Madie jumped once on her bed and pointed to me.

"There's no way you're allergic to chocolate. You wouldn't be human!" We all laughed and I nodded in agreement. Sitting down, I looked around the room at how everyone interacted with each other and I smiled. Such troubled people, working with the other so trustfully. Trust like this was built with time, I could tell.

"Great job everyone," Esme said, "Now we're going to finish up with open floor time." Dee raised her hand, asking permission to speak.

"My father called yesterday, asking if he could come for Thanksgiving and say hi," she said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. I was confused, naturally, but sat back and listened to her talk.

"What did you say to him?" Esme asked. Dee spit out a laugh and rolled her eyes.

"I told him that if he tried to come here I would have him removed from the property." I was shocked when I saw Edward and Esme both nod at what she was saying, as if agreeing with what she said. Dee looked to me immediately and sighed, ready to explain.

"When I was ten, my mother and father split up, and I went to live with my mother," Dee started. Esme sat back, nodding in approval at her opening up to me. "I was sent back and forth like any normal kid in that situation, but when I was thirteen and I hit puberty, my father turned into a pervert." My stomach felt queasy as I saw where this was headed.

"I told my mother what happened, and my father was sentenced to a year in prison. He was released early on good behavior, so my mother put a restraining order on him, forbidding him from seeing either of us. When I was sent here, he started calling every other week, trying to get me to agree with a visitation. It was then that I realized that the restraining order expired, and the only way I'm protected from him is if he tries something and I get the law involved again."

"But we don't want it to get to that point, do we?" Edward asked. Dee looked at him and shook her head.

"No, we don't." I was shocked, not sure what to say to Dee about any of this.

"I told him to stay away from me," Dee continued, "and I think he's finally starting to understand how much I _don't_ want him in my life." That's how the rest of the therapy session went; the other girls gave their opinion of how they wished men like Dee's father were sent to jail and kept off the street. When six o'clock hit, Esme looked towards me and smiled.

"Is there anything else anyone wants to share before we end this?" I knew the question was directed at me, I was sure the entire room knew this, but I kept my mouth shut and shook my head. I wouldn't be sharing _anything_ anytime soon, I knew that.

Everyone dispersed, and I watched as Edward and Esme left the room.

"Dinner time!" Angela exclaimed. I sighed, wondering who my private session would be with that evening. I had a nagging feeling that I would spend the hour sitting in a quiet room with someone, not wanting to share much of anything.

When we got to the Rec Hall, I immediately sat down at our normal table and put my head in my hands. I didn't want to eat that evening, my stomach feeling slightly uneasy from the therapy session. Having Edward in such close proximities with me had sent me into overdrive. Between his constant stares and the way he had sat on my bed, I wanted to cry with frustration when he walked out of that door.

"Where's your food?" Rosalie asked. I shrugged and peeked out from under my arm. The other girls were making their way to the table, all giving me a confused look. Rosalie looked like she wouldn't push it any, and when Madie opened her mouth to press for more questions, I could hear a faint 'thud' come from beneath the table. I knew then that someone had kicked her, and I felt a surge of pleasure to know that I would be left alone, at least momentarily.

My mind was working overtime, dwelling on what would happen when I left the Rec Hall in just half an hour. What would happen when I just sat there for the full hour, not wanting to say a word? Because at this moment in time I was not ready for open mic night about 'Bella feelings'.

"You okay?" Alice whispered. I realized I had my eyes closed, and I looked at her with apologies written on my face.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Just nervous about my session with Esme." Alice nodded and shoveled a forkful of corn in her mouth. When she swallowed she pointed her fork at me.

"You honestly have nothing to worry about," she said, "because Esme won't press you for information. She'll ask questions and that's about it. If you don't answer, she moves on."

"Really?" I asked, suddenly hopeful. Alice nodded, reaching over to pat my hand sympathetically. I sighed and sat up straight, not wanting to be the odd ball out at the table and draw attention to myself. I listened vaguely to the chatter going on between the others, but kept my eyes trained at the far wall. I didn't want my eyes to wander to anyone in particular and get caught staring, so I figured that the wall holding all of the notifications seemed pretty safe. I vaguely listened as Alice and Dee talked about an Elliott Lucca handbag that had caught Alice's eye when they had gone into town a few months back. This made my ears perk slightly as I thought about us getting off campus even for a moment, but I sighed, memorizing the pattern of pink and yellow paper on the wall.

From my peripheral vision, I watched students file in and out of the building, chattering away as if this were a carefree cafeteria instead of an institution. It reminded me a little of my school back in Forks, and in turn made me blink back a few tears. It occurred to me that I never got to say good-bye to my friends before I left. After the accident, I had several visitors in the hospital, but I didn't pay them any attention. Phone calls had continued to make their way to the house, but whenever my mother had informed me of a phone call I would ignore her. I wondered then if they knew where I was, or if they thought I was still in my bed at home. And just like that I wondered if anyone in the town knew where I was.

"He's staring at you again." Alice's whisper broke me out of my abstraction, and I jumped when I felt her breath so close to my ear. Glancing over to her I saw that she was looking down at her food as if nothing had happened, but I knew I hadn't imagined her statement. I glanced around, looking for the 'he' she had ratted on, but I didn't have to look far. At one of the far tables, Edward was staring directly at me. He was at a table with some of the other male teachers, tray of food in front of him. I looked away immediately, my face on fire.

"How long has he been staring?" I whispered low so that only Alice could hear. She shrugged slightly, chewing on her food.

"I looked up and he was watching. What's going on?" I shook my head, not knowing an answer for her.

"I don't know, but I'm heading out. Maybe if I head to session early, I can get to bed earlier." Alice nodded, and I waved goodbye to the girls without looking towards Edward's table again. I felt uneasy at the attention I was giving him, and that he was giving me. It didn't seem right to me, and I had to fight it.

I made my way out of the Rec Hall and smiled when I felt the cold air hit my face. I was still blushing, and the contrast in temperature was magnificent. Leaving the sound of the hall behind me, I made my way down the well worn path, towards the Director's house. I didn't know what to expect entirely, but the cold air was clearing my head somehow, and I welcomed it. Maybe I would enjoy the session after all.

"Bella!" I heard the voice behind me, and I turned without registering who it was. I wanted to smack myself in the head for acknowledging him, wishing I could have pretended to not hear him instead. But I had to wait then, until Edward made his way to my side, because I had already made him well aware that I heard him say my name.

"Hey Mr. Masen," I said evenly. His face blanched comically, and I had to smile as he reached my side.

"Please, call me Edward." I nodded, but didn't change my greeting. I could see his breath in the cold night air, mixing with mine, and I shivered uncontrollably.

"I was just going to session at the Director's house," I muttered. He nodded and motioned for me to walk. I hesitated but continued along the path. The distance to the large house beyond the hill never looked so far as it did right this moment.

"So how are you adapting to school?" My eyes traveled to the left, staring at him in disbelief.

"Aren't I supposed to save this kind of thing for therapy?" I half joked. Edward shrugged, his jacket crinkling in the night. I realized then that it was strangely quiet, the noise of the Rec Hall dimming in the background. There was no one else roaming the campus that I could see, and I felt a twinge of excitement to know that I was alone out here with him.

_No, Bella. Don't think that way. It isn't going to happen._

"So…" I muttered. Edward laughed and looked out towards the water. I followed his gaze and gasped. My feet stopped working, and I remained motionless as I looked at the lake. Growing up in a rainy town cheated me of moments like these, and as I looked at how the moon glistened over the choppy water, I thanked the twisted fate that I was here, and not in Forks.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Edward asked. I nodded, afraid my voice would taint the moment. "Makes the whole 'prison' concept a little less frightening." I laughed, turning away from the sight in front of me and started along the path again.

"A lot better than where I am from," I admitted. Edward looked over at me in question and I decided a little bit of information on my part wouldn't be that bad.

"Olympic Peninsula," I offered. He nodded as if he understood and let out a laugh.

"So what's with the staring?" I blurted out. My heart stopped at my verbal diarrhea, and I felt the heat creep back into my face.

"What?" Edward asked. I was glad that it was night, and hoped he couldn't see that I was embarrassed by my outburst. I chanced a peek at his face and saw that he looked worried about the fact that I had called him out. Maybe this would be the only time I could ask?

"The staring in the Rec Hall the other day and again today. Why?" Edward cleared his throat and shrugged.

"I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable," he said smoothly, "but both Carlisle and I wanted to make sure you were getting used to your surroundings, and to make sure you were okay." I shook my head slightly, not understanding completely. For a moment I considered accepting this as an answer, but this may be the only time I had to corner him about this; I surely couldn't ask him in class. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be questioning the teaching staff.

"Okay, then why not ask? You were just staring at me, I mean not that I'm complaining, but Alice noticed and it was a little weird." Oh my God, did I just admit that I didn't want to complain? Was the blushing ever going to stop? Edward let out a small laugh, reaching out to touch my elbow.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable in front of your classmates." I noticed then that we had come to my destination, and I glanced up at the house with trepidation. Why did the house seem so much more ominous now than it did before? I could see the interior of the walls, the living room lit up like a Christmas tree.

"So, I hope your session goes well," Edward said quietly, and I looked up to see that he was staring at me. I swallowed hard, nodding only once. I was mesmerized by the way his eyes caught the moonlight, making the piercing grey tint a slight silvery color. I tried to turn away, I did, but I was a goner. Edward smiled slightly before reaching into the pocket of his jacket.

"I noticed that you didn't eat dinner, and I know that's going to come back and bite you in the ass." My eyebrows shot up at his easy use of foul language, wondering if he would get reprimanded by anyone for saying it in front of me. I glanced down though as his hand withdrew from his pocket and my pulse quickened when I saw that he held a bundle in his hand.

"I don't want you to get hungry, so I grabbed you something from the back. Eat it in session." He held out his hand and I paused for a second before I accepted the food.

"Thank you," I said as my fingers closed around the cloth napkin. I felt a surge of the old Bella, the one who would wickedly smack my friends on their asses in the hallway just to see their reactions. With that familiar feeling, I let my pointer finger graze against the back of his hand. I suppressed the smile that dared to flitter across my face when I felt the warmth of his skin.

I pulled my hand back, holding the napkin wrapped food close to me. Looking up at Edward once more, I nodded and rushed inside the door. I didn't know what else to say to him, other than '_I think you're dreamy, so don't think I actually hate the staring… in all actuality it makes my girly parts tingle_.' I glanced back through the glass door and watched as Edward backed away from the house, smiling at me.

My heart skipped a beat, making goose bumps travel over my skin. Why did he insist on walking me here? Was he doing all of this to get my attention? I shook my head and walked forward, rounding the corner to where the couches were. Esme had told me to meet her there, and I didn't want to dally in the sidelines. Might as well get it over with.

"Bella!" Esme called. My attention snapped to her, and I gave her a small smile. She was sitting in one of the recliners, a position of authority in the comfortable surroundings. I hesitated before walking to the couch that was across from her. Sinking into the cushions I eyed the napkin that I held, wondering what Edward had picked out for me.

"What do you have there?" Esme asked me cheerily. I glanced up at her and shrugged.

"I didn't really eat dinner, so a… friend… gave me something to bring in. I hope that's okay." A friend? Is that what I was making him out to be? I closed my eyes for a second and saw his face staring back at me. My lips formed a smile, and Esme seemed to allow this wholeheartedly.

"Absolutely! So, you're making friends, which is great. We want you to adapt to the school in any way you can, and I'm glad to see the transition is coming along so smoothly." I grunted, opening the napkin to give me something to do. When I saw a handful of chocolate chip cookies in the middle of the napkin, I smiled. How did he assume that chocolate chip cookies would suffice as a proper dinner? He didn't, I knew. He was the nice guy, and that scared me.

Private therapy with Esme was just like I thought it would be. As I chewed on the cookies Edward had given me, she asked about my old school and about my hometown. It was easy enough to tell her about my old teacher's and how I hated my Economics class. She dwelled on how I admitted to liking the weather here better than in Washington. I expressed that I liked the dry weather, and I liked the fact that it stayed colder here for a longer period of time.

The hour session had passed by so fast, that I wasn't sure if the clock was telling the truth. It was easy enough to talk about such simple things with her, but I was sure that eventually the conversation wouldn't be so undemanding.

I walked back to my room, my mind swimming with images of Edward. In the end I had appreciated the food he had snuck me, but I didn't know how to react to him after this. My mind was screaming at me to stay away, to avoid this entire situation as much as possible.

In bed that night I stared up at the ceiling, wondering how everyone was able to sleep so easily in such a strange place. But, I suppose, this isn't such a strange place when you've been here for over two years like Alice.

* * *

A week had gone by, and I found myself adjusting to my new school very easily. Classes flew along, and teachers spent the necessary time with me to make sure that I wasn't having any problems with the lessons.

My first group therapy with the entire school was easy enough. I was able to sit in the back with Alice and go unnoticed. It seemed that a lot of the other students were okay with standing and sharing their troubles and woes with everyone, no matter how depressing they were. I remained silent, staring at Edward from across the room. I thought that maybe if I watched him for long enough, I could make some sense of him. He was too young to have been here for too long, and I didn't like how I was so easily allowing my thoughts drift to him. Sitting in that room, I let my imagination run wild. Apparently the longer I stared at him, the clearer my thoughts became. Only when I thought he was going to look my way did I shift my gaze, which happened more often than not.

I also found out that there weren't regular weekends like back at home. The staff didn't allow the kids to sit around and do nothing; we were expected to join in activities and work on school things. Alice spent some time in the Woodshop room, and I messed around with my pottery wheel, trying to get the hang of it.

In the end, I purposely kept my mind away from any stray thoughts of Edward, not wanting to let my childish crush blossom to anything more. I didn't want to become preoccupied with the thoughts of him, and the imaginary scenarios that my mind had started to come up with.

In the second week of November Rosalie noticed a new bulletin on the wall in the Rec Hall, announcing a camping trip that weekend.

"This is great!" Alice exclaimed over dinner. I could see the excitement in Madie's face, mirroring Alice's.

"What's so great about spending the night in the woods on the floor?" I asked, digging into my soup. Dee laughed and I heard Alice grunt in exasperation.

"It's so much more than that, Bella." I raised an eyebrow, looking at her in disbelief. "Camping trips here are awesome. It's two nights in the woods on the other side of the lake shore, and we build a huge fire and tell stories around it like you would in Girl Scouts." I sipped my chicken soup, wondering about the last time I had gone camping. The horrible memory hit me and I remembered how I burnt my tongue on a burnt marshmallow and was bitten by a million mosquitoes.

"Yeah, I'll pass thanks." Alice rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to protest, but she was interrupted by Esme.

"Sorry to butt in girls, but I wanted to let you know that the camping trip this time is mandatory for everyone. Enjoy your dinner." Like a ghost, she was gone. I didn't even see her as she came and went behind my back, and my thoughts were drowned out by my tables' laughter.

"That was the most cut and run conversation I have ever had," Rosalie laughed.

"So, Bella, you were saying?" Alice smirked. I shook my head and frowned, not understanding why the camping trip would be _mandatory_. That was all anyone could talk about for the rest of the week, excited about the prospect of a large fire and sleeping in tents.

Esme had let everyone know that all of the camping and hiking gear would be dropped off in our rooms on Thursday night, giving us enough time to prepare everything for when we all took off on Friday afternoon. On a positive note, it meant that all classes Friday afternoon would be dismissed.

When Thursday night came, I found myself experiencing a twinge of excitement as Alice sat with me, packing our things.

"I haven't been camping in forever, so this is pretty neat," she said. I smiled and examined the sleeping bag that was strapped onto my bag.

"I haven't gone since I was nine," I admitted, "and back then I didn't have that much fun."

"You'll have a better time now, I promise," Alice said, and I nodded, believing her. My roommates and I sat up late that night, talking about how great it would be to be outside in the fresh air. By the next morning I was tingling with anticipation. Alice's preaching had gotten to me and I was praying for the day to end quickly so that we could get on our way.

I sat in my first class of the day, not paying attention as Edward was describing the correct method of pitching a tent, which I would have to know at the end of the same day. Instead I was thinking of sitting around a fire, and watching Edward on the other side of the flames, staring at me.

"Bella, you in there?" I jumped and looked around. Everyone had a tent and was working together to assemble it, everyone but me. I felt my face heat up as I shot to my feet.

"Hold on, it's okay," Edward was saying, "I actually wanted to talk to you, and I suppose now is a good a time as any." I looked into his eyes and noticed how they seemed a little brighter than the last time I had seen them. Why was I noticing things like this? Was I looking too closely?

"Okay," I muttered. Edward led me about ten feet away from the groups and sat me down on the grass, sitting close to my side. I wouldn't let my eyes meet his, self-conscious about the fact that he was staring at me.

"So how have you been, Bella?" he asked. I picked at a blade of grass and pretended to examine it, wondering how long I would be able to act the innocent part.

"I'm okay," I whispered. I saw Edward's head bob as he nodded and I watched as he reached out and plucked the strand of grass from my fingers.

"Bella, look at me." I swallowed hard and looked into the grey eyes I tried so hard to avoid. He was two feet away from my face, and I wanted to reach out and touch his cheek, just to make sure he was real.

"You seem to be avoiding me," he said quietly. My eyes widened, and I wondered if he could hear the pounding of my heart. Had he really noticed how I concentrated on everything but him? Was he examining me that closely to see it? The fact that he was looking at me like that made my stomach flutter, but I shoved the feeling back with so much force I winced.

"I'm sorry," I said. I let my eyes travel to his hands, and I watched as he began playing with the same blade of grass he had plucked from my fingers.

"It's okay I suppose, but I don't want you to make it a habit." Edward's soft voice hit me in a way that I wasn't sure how to react. His grey eyes captured my attention once more, and I spent the next minute getting lost in the depths.

"Bella," he whispered. I nodded, not trusting my voice to maintain the strength needed for conversation.

"Save me a seat by the fire, okay?" I nodded again, not believing that he was mirroring my thoughts. Edward continued to look at me until I heard a student call his name in the distance. He stood without saying another word and held his hand out to help me up.

His surprisingly smooth hand brushed against mine, and left my palm burned. As he walked away, I realized that my hand was not empty. Opening it palm up, I looked down and smiled when I saw the blade of grass he had taken from me. It was no longer straight and smooth, but bent into the shape of a perfect heart.

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**Okay people, move on directly to the next chapter. It's coming up just minutes after this one! But wait-- REVIEW FIRST!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, moving right along... Chapter five. It might be a little shorter than any of my normal chapters, but it was either breaking the one long chapter down into two installments or shoving it all at you in 14,000 words lol. **

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do, however, own a Blackberry. I tell you this because when you REVIEW, I get an e-mail. And the e-mails go directly to my cell phone. And therefore, no matter where I am in the world, I will get notification that you love me and my story. *GRIN***

* * *

That afternoon I followed my roommates out of the dorm room, large bag of camping gear strapped to my back. I had placed my grass heart into my nightstand drawer, not wanting to lose it. I wasn't sure what it meant, but the thoughts that I had been suppressing since the week before of Edward were now flooding back.

The school gathered in the lawn, and I laughed at the excitement that shone on everyone's face.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" I looked over and watched as Mr. Cullen stood with a megaphone in front of the group.

"We will be heading out in a moment, but I want you all to understand the importance of working together as we all walk to the campsite." Cheers erupted throughout the crowd and I laughed with my roommates as we joined in.

"It's a six mile hike, so we'll all get there by nightfall. I hope you all work quickly to assemble your tents so you don't have to work in the dark for too long." Carlisle ended his speech by warning us all to behave, and to stick with our team leaders.

"Who is our team leader?" I asked Madie. She pointed to Esme and smiled.

"Esme and Edward are leading us. We're hiking with the rest of our building." Of course we were, I thought. I might as well come to the conclusion that no matter what, I wasn't going to be able to avoid him. Everyone prattled excitingly as we gathered everything and followed our team leaders.

I pushed my bag onto my shoulders, making sure that I was able to follow closely behind Dee and Angela as we made our way down the trail. I felt the energy level around me spike as we all chattered. The path around the lake was winding, and I made sure that I followed closely behind my group as we followed Edward and Esme. I purposely stayed further behind Edward than necessary, still thinking about that morning. How was I supposed to act around him that evening by the fire?

I talked with Alice as we walked, asking her how often the school did camping trips like this. She was my official go-to person about small things when it came to how the school ran, and I loved her sarcastic outlook on it all.

"We do this about twice a year, once when the weather starts getting colder, and again when everything thaws out. The first couple of times I loathed it, but you start to like it after a while. It's refreshing, really." I understood what she meant, and I listened as Angela started asking Alice about the campsite, and if all the tents were going to be jammed together.

"No, there are actually three separate clearings, and we build two or three large fires. It's crowded, but comfortable regardless. I think this is the first time it's been mandatory, so I'm not sure how that's going to come into play." She was right, and I thought of the two hundred people who would be camping out in the forest.

"You look puzzled," someone said. I whirled to my left and saw Edward walking next to me.

"How did you…? You were just up there a minute ago," I stammered. Edward laughed and nodded.

"Yes, but there's this new thing where people can actually slow down. Then they can be in an entirely new place." I sighed and looked at his innocent expression.

"Smart ass," I muttered. Edward laughed and I saw Alice look behind her, eyes wide and smiling. She turned quickly and whispered something to Angela. The two continued to glance behind them and giggle.

"You're going to start rumors," I said quietly. He shrugged and kept pace beside me, one hiking boot in front of the other.

"What kind of rumors?" Edward asked. I bit my lip; there was no way I would tell him what my mind was thinking.

"So how long have you been working here?" I changed the subject. He laughed and nudged my arm with his elbow.

"Nice save," he laughed, "I've been teaching here for about three and a half years." I did a few calculations in my head, and my brows furrowed together.

"I thought you were twenty-three?" Edward shook his head.

"Nope, barely twenty-two." We were a little off, I realized.

"You started young," I said as we tracked over the side of a mountain. The sun had begun to set and it made the forest behind us grow dark. I wondered if we would end up hiking through the dark or if we would take out flashlights.

"Carlisle hired me to be a Teacher's Assistant when I was nineteen," Edward said, "and about a year and a half ago I was put in charge of the Teamwork class." I nodded and smiled.

"You're good at your job," I said, glancing sideways at him. Edward's eyes were silver, and looking at me with tenderness I couldn't describe.

"Well, thank you Bella." We continued to walk, listening to the conversation of those around us. I let my mind wander as I walked next to him, thinking of his age mostly. He was only twenty-two, younger than I thought he was. Did this make me liking him okay? No matter how I thought about it, we still had a gap in our age. Five years wasn't a lot; after all, my parents were seven years apart.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward's voice whispered in my ear. I smiled and glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

"Whatever I tell you, you won't believe," I smirked. Edward laughed and nodded.

"Indeed, there would be doubts. But amuse me regardless." I thought for a second, of the way he looked at me and the way that he held my gaze. I thought of the grass heart he had given me that morning, which would normally solidify any feelings of liking someone. Should I tell him the truth?

"Are you going to tell me?" he asked. I sighed and lowered my voice so he was the only one that could hear me.

"I was thinking that you were younger than you looked," I said. Edward nodded and smiled.

"Is that a good thing?" I might as well continue with the truth, I thought.

"I haven't completely decided yet," I said.

"Let me know when you've decided," he said. Edward nudged me with his arm again and I looked at him. He was smiling, and I could tell that he was a nice guy. He was honest and direct, which were qualities that people normally didn't have.

"So, what are _you_ thinking about?" I pressed. It was time to turn the questions on him.

"You want the truth?" he asked. I kept my eyes trained on his, and I nodded. It took him a moment but he bent down to whisper in my ear.

"You." I stopped breathing. Edward had returned to his standing posture, and we walked with our group through the forest. I trained my eyes on the back of Alice's head and wished suddenly that Angela wasn't there so that I could steal Alice away. She was the only one who knew about my crush, but suddenly this 'crush' was escalating into something so much more. And it wasn't just from me, but from the token of my desire as well.

Is this what I wanted? _Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, Ryan_. I took a deep breath and felt my face grow warm with pleasure. Yes, it was what I wanted I think, in a scary way.

"Do you think about students that way often?" I asked softly. Edward shook his head automatically.

"No, never. And for some reason I don't think of you as a student." He was being so open. How did this make it right? I didn't get a chance to think properly after that; someone towards the front of the large group yelled out in victory.

"We're here!" I heard the yells. Edward reached out and squeezed my shoulder, leaving my side and heading back to the front of the crowd. After almost ten minutes of rustling and adjusting, we were all standing in a large clearing. I saw three fire pits located sporadically throughout the clearing and I automatically assumed that we would have to pitch the tents around them.

"Okay everyone! First things first!" Esme yelled to everyone. "We find enough wood to build the fires, and this way we get light. Then we build our homes!" Rosalie and Angela led our group to a corner of the clearing and motioned for us to set our bags down. We had claimed the area as our own, and that would be where our tent would be built.

"Let's do this madness," Alice laughed. We followed everyone into the woods and worked on getting enough wood into the fire pits. Thankfully because of the two hundred people, it didn't take as long to locate. Edward and two of the other male teachers, Jasper and Mike, struck matches and worked on getting the flames to rise.

I caught myself watching Edward with new eyes. He was hunched over the pile of wood, wrapped in a black jacket. My eyes drifted along his body, resting on his broad shoulders. I wondered briefly what if would feel like to let my fingers brush along his back, even if for a moment.

Of course Edward chose that moment to look up and catch my eyes in the crowd. I kept my gaze steady, giving him a small smile. Edward returned the look and winked.

"Hey you," I heard from behind me. I jumped and turned. What was with people sneaking up behind me and scaring me? Alice was looking at me as if she wanted to talk, and I realized then that I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her since that morning.

"Wanna talk?" Alice asked. I caught myself nodding.

"Please." It wasn't until the fires were lit and the tents were up that I was able to pull Alice aside and sit with her. I was hoping that she wouldn't pass judgment on the thoughts I was having, but I wouldn't know until I spoke to her.

She chose a spot in the outskirts of the forest, sitting on a fallen tree log.

"So what's going on?" Alice asked right away. I gripped my jacket tightly around me, wondering if she already knew.

"I don't even know. Nothing makes sense." Alice reached out and patted my leg.

"Well, I can tell that your crush on Edward isn't exactly just a crush," she said. I glanced towards the crowd, watching Edward walk around the fire, setting up the dinner plates. He laughed and joked with some people, but overall acted like a normal guy. Not someone who threw the fact that he was a teacher in your face at all.

"I don't know what I'm doing," I admitted to Alice. "It started off as a stupid little crush when I first saw him. But somehow during the past week or so, it wasn't just me anymore." Alice looked at me in confusion and I sighed.

"I tried so hard to ignore him, because I knew that if I ignored him he would go away. Actually, I _thought_ if I ignored him he would go away. But this morning he pulled me aside and told me if felt like I was trying to avoid him. And then he gave me a grass heart and now…"

"Wait a minute," Alice held her hands up and looked confused. "He gave you a _what_?" I realized how I sounded like a nutcase just then.

"We were sitting in class and I was playing with a blade of grass. Well, he took the blade from me as we talked and when he stood up to walk away, he says 'Save me a place by the fire' and gives me the blade of grass back and it was in the shape of a heart." I looked away from Edward and turned my wild gaze fully on Alice.

"Tell me I'm going crazy, but he's acting like he likes me or something!" I was panicking, I knew, but Alice would hold me together; she had to.

"Okay, Bella, calm down," Alice said quietly. She put her hands on my shoulders, practically holding me to the log.

"Sweetie, I say this with all the love in the world," Alice began. A twinkle appeared in her eyes. "You've got yourself a _boyfriend_." I jerked backwards and glared at her as she laughed.

"You are _so_ not helping." Alice tried to control the laughter, and I glanced back to where Edward was standing by the fire; he honestly had no idea how gorgeous he was.

"What do I do?" I sounded desperate, I knew. Finally Alice stopped laughing, and she leaned against my shoulder.

"Well my dear, I can tell just by the way that you look at him that you're getting those fuzzy feelings in your tummy." She was right. "And if my censors read correctly, he's getting the same feelings towards you. _But_…" There was always a 'but'.

"In the sake of legality, you _are _only seventeen, right?" I sighed and nodded.

"Well, because he's twenty-four…" I held my hand up.

"Actually, he's only twenty-two," I corrected her. Alice nodded and smiled.

"I stand corrected. Well, because he's twenty-two and you're only seventeen, you have to wait until you're eighteen for it to be not … wrong in the eyes of others. You know what I mean?" She was right. There was a weirdness factor to all of it, but for some reason I didn't want to think about that.

"Don't get me wrong," Alice continued, "my boyfriend is eight years older than me, so three years ago when we started to date it was weird to a lot of people. But I promise you won't get that same weird vibe from me. I applaud this, and I will turn my evil eye if you want me to, although I want every detail," we laughed. "But I want you to know that if you're going to make this public then you have to be careful. But also, you can't because of the whole student teacher thing. So keep it quiet. I can help." I was grateful for Alice at that moment. Although she may not know all of the past that I came with, she understood me and accepted me for who I was.

"Thank you," I said. Alice nodded and motioned towards Edward.

"He is pretty cute. Just be careful about how you approach this. Don't get hurt." I nodded, and we walked back towards the campsite. Immediately we headed towards the food, spearing the hotdogs with long sticks and sitting with them over the fire. Logs had been placed around the fires, giving enough room for a large amount of the students and teachers to eat peacefully. While Alice and I had been talking, a majority of them had already eaten, and were now sitting around the campsite talking. Alice and I were able to sit on our own log and work on cooking our food, watching the flames lick the brownness a light golden color.

"This seat taken?" I heard Edward say. I smiled and saw Alice stand nonchalantly, giving us privacy.

"It's been reserved, just for you," I smiled at him. He lowered himself next to me, his knee brushing against mine. _Just act cool,_ I thought, _you have to approach this the right way._

"So where'd you go off to?" he asked. I noticed right away that we didn't have to lower our voices too much; between the crackle of the fire and the talking of so many people so close together, no one could hear us.

"Alice and I were just having a little conversation, and out in the open wasn't exactly the best place for it," I said. I pulled the hotdog away from the fire and pressed my finger to it, testing the temperature.

"On the verge of being nosy," Edward pressed, "what did you talk about that needed so much secrecy?" Should I pull the same line he did? I smiled and lowered my voice.

"You." Edward turned his entire body to me and my smile grew. I let my eyes gravitate to the side, and I was met with the most beautiful stare. His eyes were normally a silver grey, but in the fire's light they had a tint of gold. The two colors mixed together gave him a sultry look that I wanted to take a picture of and look at all day long.

"Was the conversation good or bad?" I let my eyes leave his and looked back to the fire.

"Well, I'm not sure," I admitted, "see there are things that keep invading my thoughts that could be considered bad, mainly because I'm only seventeen and the fact that you're twenty-two."

"I see," Edward nodded.

"But," I continued, "Alice pointed out that I wasn't going to be seventeen forever." Edward smiled.

"September 13th," he muttered. I laughed.

"Yes. But I also thought that if this," I motioned my finger between us slowly, "was something that didn't want to wait for that kind of deadline, then maybe we didn't have to wait. Maybe we could go about this in a behind the scenes kind of way."

"And how does that happen?" Edward asked quietly. I sighed. I hadn't thought about that. I suppose it was all up to him.

"That's not up to me," I responded. I looked up to stare into his eyes again, and saw that he was smiling.

"I understand," he said. Did he really? I started to eat my dinner, and was pleased that Edward was still sitting beside me. I had put the ball in his court, and it was up to him to walk away now or stay close until I turned eighteen. Even then we couldn't exactly do anything; the school would flip if something like that happened. We would have to wait until I left campus, but then it would be hopeless because he would stay and I would go. The thoughts made me slightly sad.

"So how late are you staying up tonight?" Edward asked me. I felt my heart jump and I was smiling without realizing.

"I'm not sure, I guess as late as everyone else." I looked to Edward and watched as he zipped his jacket up. He looked towards my tent and studied it for a moment.

"Sleep in the far left corner, okay?" I swallowed hard and nodded.

"See you later," he whispered, letting his hand brush along my arm as he stood. I watched as Edward walked towards the other teachers, pointing to the students. Seconds later Alice was back beside me, tapping my shoulder.

"So?" she asked urgently. I smiled at her and shrugged.

"He noticed that you and I went and talked, and he asked me what about. I told him the truth; that we were talking about him." Alice's eyes went wide for a moment.

"Seriously? What did he say?"

"Well, he asked if the conversation was good or bad, and I told him it was regarding the age difference. I told him that until I was eighteen, things weren't going to happen."

"And?" Alice prompted. I laughed.

"Well, I told him that maybe we didn't have to wait, but in the end it wasn't up to me. And he basically just told me to stay up tonight so we can talk!" Alice gripped my arm and I laughed as I took in her shocked state.

"How are you going to sneak out later?" she asked. I thought for a moment.

"Well, technically it's not sneaking out. If we get caught, he can just vouch for us, right?" Alice nodded and we grinned at each other. I hadn't felt like this in so long, I wondered if it was wrong in a way. I had friends, and I had a… guy… it felt like I had started my entire life over. My heart ached for Ryan, for what had been and what could have been, but I knew I couldn't live like that. I had to try, _try_, to move on.

"What's with the face?" Alice asked. I shook my head, telling myself not to think that way. There were no rules saying I had to be miserable forever, and I was going to make sure of that.

* * *

By eleven that night everyone had retreated to their tents, full of hotdogs and marshmallows. Alice was right; I hadn't had this much fun in a long time. I changed into my pajamas, layering myself so that when I snuck out later I wouldn't freeze. I remained tucked under my sleeping bag, letting my mind wander in the darkness.

The tents turned out to be large enough to fit eight people comfortably, so the six of us had spaced our bags apart. I had claimed the back left corner as my spot, and Alice backed my choice up when Dee tried to argue.

"It's her first camping trip," Alice had said, "let her chose her own place." No one dared to argue with the girl with tattoos on her wrists, I thought with a smile.

And now I waited for a sign to leave the tent. As the minutes drifted by, the cold started to seep into my bag and make me tired. It was only seconds before I was in an unconscious state that I heard someone scratch at the nylon tent.

My eyes flew open and I sat up in a burst of adrenaline.

"Edward?" I whispered. I heard the tapping again right next to my head and smiled. Grabbing my jacket and an extra blanket, I slipped on my boots and quietly unzipped the tent. I stepped through and glanced in once to make sure everyone was still asleep, and then pulled the zipper shut again.

I turned to the empty campsite and let my eyes wander over the dozens of tents that were sprawled across the campus. The three fires that had been burning were now nothing but a smoke trail into the sky.

"Psst!" I heard from behind me. I turned and saw Edward standing on the outskirts of the woods. I walked towards him quickly and smiled when I saw that he was tip toeing like a child.

"Follow me," he whispered. I nodded and grabbed onto the back of his jacket. He led the way through the forest, and I made sure I didn't trip over any logs or miscellaneous bushes. After a few hundred feet of path, Edward stopped and reached behind to hold onto my hand.

His grip was firm and his skin was warm. I was glad it was dark so that he couldn't see me blush, but bent my head anyway. When Edward pulled me beside him, I looked up and saw that we were by the water.

"Good thing you brought a blanket," Edward spoke, "it gets colder by the water." I paused and looked out over the lake. In the moonlight it looked peaceful and serene.

"It's gorgeous," I whispered. Edward nodded and motioned for the ground. There was a grouping of large rocks, which made a natural bench by the lake.

"I found this area a while back. I think it's perfect." I smiled and sat down on the rock, pleased that when Edward sat beside me, the left side of his body was pressed against mine. He was still dressed in a pair of jeans and his hiking boots, but he hand changed into a thick sweater under his jacket for that evening. I waited until he was settled to throw the blanket over the two of us. I didn't know what to say as we sat by the water, and I hoped that he had thought about what I said earlier.

"So how do you like camping?" Edward asked. I realized then that we didn't have to whisper by the water, and I smiled.

"I like it. I think it's the fact that I don't mind the people I'm camping with," I said honestly. Edward laughed and shook his head.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I curled my hands into the edge of the blanket to both warm them and to give them something to do.

"Well last time I went camping was when I was nine and it was with my parents," I said. Edward looked at me, and I realized that my statement wasn't exactly an explanation.

"My parents aren't exactly people you want to stay with, confined in a small tent. It falls along the lines of torture." Edward laughed and I could feel his body shake next to mine.

"Tell me about your parents," he said. I froze, wondering if I wanted to go there.

"What do you want to know?" I asked. Edward remained quiet for a moment, thinking of questions I was sure.

"What does your mom do for a living?" I smiled at the thought of my mother, and I wondered suddenly how she was doing. She still hadn't contacted me since I had arrived; my father's doing I was sure.

"My mother is a travel agent. She helps those rich couples plan their eighth honeymoon to Las Vegas and what not." Edward smiled. "She's got a great sense of humor, and back home she would interact with my school and everything. Field trips, bake sales, and PTO meetings were her specialty."

"What did you do in school?" he asked. I thought back to my orchestra class and wished that I could pick up a viola and play.

"Well, I bet you didn't know this," I smiled, "but you are in the midst of a true Principal Chair Violist." Edward's eyes widened and he looked impressed.

"I've been playing since I was five, and my mother moved us to Forks, Washington just so that I could be a part of the local high school's Orchestra. I quickly took hold of the first chair, and I've had it for three straight years."

"Do you like playing the viola?" The question was innocent, and there was no way he could know unless he spoke to my parents. But I could feel my stomach freeze when I thought of the last time I had picked up my instrument, and the last time I had played for someone, Ryan.

"I did," I finally said. "Tell me about you." I had to change the subject, but Edward shook his head.

"No, I want to hear about you. All about you." I blushed and cleared my throat. The waves lapped onto the sand and I looked out into the water.

"I loved playing the viola. I played for hours a day, and it was going to be my ride to college."

"Was?" Edward asked. He caught the past tense in my words and I turned to look at him.

"Well, I've been expelled from my school because I gave up. I gave up everything in my life so that I could become a vegetable that lay in bed all day long. That isn't exactly my ride to college." Wow. It was more information than I had volunteered in weeks, to my family or in school.

"Be that as it may, you didn't do it on purpose." I let my eyes get wide in disbelief. Edward met my disbelief head on and shook his head. "You didn't. It wasn't like you said one day, 'I think I'll stop wanting to live and just lay in bed in hopes that everyone gives up on me.' That's not what happened, is it?" I shook my head.

"Then you can't blame it all on yourself." I turned back towards the water and waited for Edward to speak.

"Tell me about your father." My anger flared for a moment. I shook my head.

"No, thank you." Edward gave me one nod and smiled.

"Then tell me what you want to be when you're thirty and wishing you were still in high school so you could live those wonder years all over again." I laughed at his wondering and sighed.

"Well, at one point I wanted to be a firefighter," I shared. Edward laughed into the nigh air.

"Seriously?" he asked. I nodded vigorously and leaned closer into the warmth of his body.

"Yes sir, I wanted to put on a heavy uniform and run into fires to save complete strangers. It was my dream for all of two months until I saw a karate match on television, and then I wanted to be a professional martial arts teacher." Edward kept laughing and eventually I joined in.

"How many things did you want to be?" he asked.

"Gosh, I don't know. It went from a teacher to a veterinarian, and then I wanted to be a brain surgeon. You know, hold the power of someone's life in your hands and all."

"You're full of surprises," Edward whispered. I nodded and yawned. Closing my eyes, I rubbed my eyelids once and then opened them.

"What the…" I blinked again and felt the world shift. Somehow my vision had gone completely blurry.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked me. I closed my eyes again and rubbed my eyelids gently.

"I'm not sure; I think it's my contacts. They just got really blurry." Edward leaned forward and touched my face.

"Is there something in your eye?" he asked. I opened my right eye and saw that his face was out of focus. I closed the eye and then opened my left. It was the same.

"No, I don't think so. Both eyes are blurry. What the hell?" It annoyed me and I wondered if I should take the contacts out and throw them away. But how would I see for the next two days until we got back to school?

I sighed, closing my eyes. Counting to ten I reopened my eyes again, relieved to see that my vision was once again crystal clear.

"That was really odd," I muttered. Edward was still leaning close to my face, examining my eyes with care.

"Everything okay now?" he asked. I nodded and rubbed my eyes again for good measure.

"Are you tired?" he asked. I shook my head, but asked what time it was.

"It is one in the morning. Do you want me to take you back to your tent?" I didn't want to leave the waterside, but I knew that if we were out here for any longer I would fall asleep. Nothing said breaking the rules like a teacher carrying you back to your tent in an unconscious state.

"I wish it wasn't so late," I admitted. Edward stood then, reaching out to take my hand. I held onto him and let him pull me up in a standing position. He wrapped the blanket around me and pulled me into a hug.

"Well, there is no rule saying we can't have talks like this. So we'll see." I was frozen to his body, letting my arms wrap around him. I could feel the blood rush to my face his hands rubbed against my back. I let my fingers slide along the suede fabric of his jacket and I sighed. He was warm and solid, a structure that I didn't want to release.

"Ready to head back?" I nodded into his chest and pulled back. He surprised me by holding onto my hand as we headed back to the clearing. We walked slower, taking our time with each step.

"So how do you like school so far?" he asked quietly when we saw the outline of the tents come into focus. I smiled into the darkness and whispered,

"It gets better every day." Stopping outside my tent, Edward turned to face me. In the moonlight, his eyes were shinning. I looked up at him and sighed.

"Thank you for the talk," I said. He nodded and let go of my hand.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said gently. Edward then leaned down and brushed his lips against my cheek. Pulling back, he stepped away from me and into the darkness. My heart was pounding as I unzipped the tent and crawled into my sleeping bag.

"How did it go?" Alice whispered. I grinned and restrained myself from screaming into the pillow.

"Great. Thank you so much for the pep talk earlier." Alice laughed quietly and I could hear her turn over in her sleeping bag.

"That's what friends are for." I was smiling as I drifted off to sleep, thinking about how Edward had held my hand, and the kiss he brushed on my cheek.

* * *

**So, what do you think? The story is moving along nicely I think, and coming up next we reveal some more things about Bella and what she thinks about Edward... :-)**

**OKAY PEOPLE! Now it's time for you to review. Because, remember, it makes me happy. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay party people, let's get this show on the road! I had fun with this chapter, so I hope you enjoy.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie (s). But I do own a giant tub of Utz Cheese Balls. Ha. I said balls. **

* * *

I awoke the next morning, a damn grin on my face. Even with the shade from the trees, I could feel the sun seeping through the tent and onto my face.

"Is she awake yet?" I heard the whispers around me, and I couldn't help but groan.

"Shove it Rose," I said with a stretch. Seconds later I felt a pillow slam down on my face.

"Ahh!" I screamed. I rolled into the fetal position to protect myself from any other signs of 'abuse', but relaxed when I listened to everyone file out of the tent.

"So how did it go last night?" I heard Alice ask. I peeked out at her and smiled; we were the only two people in the tent. I sat up quickly and lowered my voice incase anyone was close by.

"Fantastic," I admitted. Alice seemed pleased at how happy I was. "We went for a walk to the water and just talked. He asked me about back home and we talked a little about him. Nothing too serious, but enough to where I know I'm in trouble." Alice glanced over her shoulder at the opening in the flap, and then leaned in closer to me.

"Well, Bella, I'm glad that you seem to know what you're doing."

"I don't," I admitted. She only smiled.

"Regardless, you going to meet him last night was a step in the direction you want to take, whether you realize it or if it's all subconscious. Now, as a friend, I recommend just taking it slow. Figure this out one day at a time, and don't jump into anything. I don't want you to regret it all and then it come back to bite you in the ass." I stared at Alice in awe, tucking all of her words of wisdom away in my memory. I reached out to embrace her in a hug.

"Thank you, Alice." She blushed and waved her hand at me as if it were nothing. I could hear the sounds of the other students and teachers leaving their tents and preparing for breakfast, so I started to pull out my clothing for the day. When I was properly dressed, I stepped out of the tent pulling a bandana over my hair, immediately looking around for my group. A twinge of claustrophobia crept over me at the mass of people that crowded in the area. I took a step back, trying to breathe deeply.

"Good morning, Bella." I turned to my right, my face lighting up in a smile as Edward approached.

"Morning," I said. I couldn't help my eyes from grazing over his body, taking in the sight that, at that moment, was more beautiful than the lake. Edward was wearing blue jeans and what looked to be a thick black sweater, with a blue jacket over that. Such simple clothing on such a magnificent man made my mouth water. I let out a small laugh though, when I realized we somewhat matched.

"I take it you slept well?" Edward asked me, tearing me from my ogling. I could feel the blush spread, and I nodded.

"Good," Edward grinned, "because you'll need it." My smile wavered at this, and he laughed.

"You didn't think camping was just sitting around the whole weekend, did you?" Alice appeared by my side, grinning at both me and Edward.

"Good morning Mr. Masen. See you after breakfast!" With Alice's greeting, I was swept away from Edward and thrown into the events of 'camping' by their standards. Throughout the day I didn't have time to rest, while Alice tugged me around to the different activities that were planned. After breakfast, my group spent the morning down by the lake with two other dorm rooms and the counselors, Barbie and Jasper. We were given a list of things to find by the water, and I couldn't stop laughing at how Alice would joke about finding a piece of 'wood'. And Alice kept laughing at how Barbie (I still couldn't get over the fact that it was her real name) kept rubbing herself on Jasper, trying to be coy about it all.

"Oh God, he looks like he's going to throw up," Alice laughed. My mouth had dropped open then as Jasper walked up behind her and leaned in with a smile.

"You're right, my stomach does seem a bit upset." And like that he walked away with that grin on his face. Alice had turned bright red, leaning into me to shield her.

"I can't believe he heard me!" she shrieked. Hands down, the best day ever. I was proud of myself for steering clear of Edward, especially when Alice warned me not to stare so much. _Don't want to start rumors_. So I didn't seek him out. Instead I acted like he didn't exist. That was until Edward and Esme made an announcement after lunch.

"We're taking a hike down to Beaver River," Esme said to the group, "so anyone who would like to come along please be ready in thirty minutes." Edward was bombarded with questions by some of the guys, and Alice started shaking me vigorously.

"This is going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed. I immediately started to shake my head.

"No, no I don't think so. I'm going to sit this one out." And just like that Madie and Dee flanked Alice and I felt like I didn't have a choice.

"Well," I coughed nervously, "I guess we're going on a hike." Arms wrapped around me from behind, and I laughed as Rose started to jump.

"You'll realize that with scary Alice, you don't really have a choice in anything," she laughed. I knew it was the truth, so I followed the others as we informed Esme that we would be joining in the hike. Off to the side I watched as Edward's head inclined in our direction, listening to us as well. It excited me, the concept of spending more time in his vicinity.

Less than an half an hour later, Madie was herding our group in the direction of everyone else, leading us down a trail towards the river. Sometime last year she had done the same hike, and she couldn't stop raving about it.

"Remember everyone," Edward called out from his position towards the front of the group, "you have to stay back from the water itself. You can look, even go near the rocks near the _shore_, but I'll let you know this right now—I will be very pissed if I have to dive in after you." Everyone laughed, and Edward continued on.

I listened as the girls talked, but I kept my eyes trained down to my feet, careful not to trip on any of the rocks and tree roots that protruded from the earth. The chatter ceased after about an hour though, and I realized that we were approaching the river. With a collective gasp, we all stepped through the brush and gaped at the sight before us. The river spanned before us, the water roaring over the rocks.

"Wow," I gasped.

"Yeah," Dee muttered. I stood frozen in my spot, transfixed by the scene in front of me. The other students who had participated in the hike were spreading out, looking over the edge of the river in hopes to get as close as possible.

"This is really scary," I admitted. Alice was the only person close enough to hear me, but she looped her arm in mine, pulling me close.

"Don't worry, wait until we actually go white water rafting. Now _that_ shit is scary." She laughed, pulling me along the shore as we watched the water foam around the rocks. At the section of river where we stood it might have been twenty feet across, rushing forward with enough speed to match a racecar. What looked to be a quarter mile down the way, the river sloped somewhat, giving it a waterfall feel.

"Has anyone every fallen in?" I dared to ask. Alice looked at me curiously and nodded.

"Yeah, but not without a life vest. A little over half a year ago we went white water rafting, and someone fell out. But it's not that scary I guess. Someone always goes after you" I didn't ask any questions after that, only watched as the thirty or so kids walked around and looked into the water. I finally made my way over to a large rock, sitting a few feet away from where I couldn't be sprayed with the water. The sun was out, beaming down on us, which I reveled in. Even though the temperature was easily in the lower thirties and I could see my breath each time I exhaled, I could feel the bursts of heat through my jacket.

I felt at peace for the first time in a very long time. Nothing around me could hurt me, and I didn't have to worry about anyone coming at me just because they had a bad day. This fortress that I had detested so much at first was now my safe haven. Everyone looked at me with a smile, everyone asked if I was okay. No one assumed that I was hunching back from them because I was an outcast, not because I was afraid they would touch my bruises.

I watched Madie and Rosalie by the edge of the water, reaching down to splash each other with the foam. Alice waved to me and made her way down the shore with Dee and Angela, throwing rocks into the water. It was wonderful to be able to sit back and just watch everyone. And at that very second, 'everyone' meant 'Edward'. He was listening to Emmett, one of the students from my Teamwork class, as they pointed to the forest on the other side of the river. I could feel my face heat up in embarrassment when Edward looked over and winked. I had to do my best and keep myself in check; no one could see the way I looked at him or he looked at me. At this point I was surprised no one else could tell…even Alice knowing was too much. I thought it a bit unsettling that he seemed okay with that, but I trusted his judgment. If he wasn't worried, than I would _try_ not to be either.

"Madie, watch it!" Rosalie's squeal of laughter caught my attention and I turned to her with a smile. Edward and Emmett continued their discussion on the trees they thought about climbing, and I strained to drown them out. My friends swatted at each other, flinging water at the other with grins on their faces.

And like in slow motion, Rosalie smacked Madie on the arm, and Madie lost her balance. Her usually smiling face went slack and filled with panic.

And like a rubber band snapping my vision to her, I could see everything. I could see every line in her face as if she were standing directly in front of me instead of fifteen feet away. I could hear her intake of breath as she started to fall backwards. I could see Rosalie's hand dart out to grab her before she fell. I could see her fall though, coming in contact with the rushing waters. To make it all the more unreal, I could see Edward's face snap to the left. I could see his pupils constrict, zooming in on Madie as she fell. I could see his muscles contract and move as he rushed forward.

Madie had fallen into the water, and I screamed with the others as her head disappeared beneath the surface. As I shot to my feet, Edward ran full speed towards the water, ripping his jacket from his arms as he went.

"_No_!" I screamed. But my cry was unheard, and just like that, my vision seemed to snap back and everything was back to the way it was. Just in time to watch as Edward kicked off the side of a rock and flung himself into the river after Madie.

"No!" I screamed again. I raced forward to the spot where they had both disappeared, not sure what I planned on doing. But Alice's arms wrapped around me, pulling me back before I did anything.

Alice held me back as my blood ran cold and my heart jumped into my throat.

"Madie!" Alice screamed in my ear. But I was selfish. I was screaming Edward's name in my head.

Like a wave everyone rushed to the edge of the river, Esme looking frantic.

"Where are they?" someone yelled. No one answered, because they saw what I did. Once Edward had dove into the water, no one had seen anything. My mind was racing, not grasping hold of any particular thought. Madie fell. Edward dove in after her like some kind of superhero. But the way I saw it… it baffled me. I could see each and every freckle on Madie's face, like I was looking through a telescope. And the way Edward reacted was bone chilling. He dove in without thinking about the consequences. He just _dove_.

"There!" someone screamed. I wiped the tears that were leaking from my eyes with my free hand and looked where one of the girls was pointing. And indeed, there were two heads, bobbing in the water about two hundred feet down. Like a wave everyone ran down the shore, eager to get to the others. My feet moved under me, matching the beat of my erratic heart.

"Edward! Madie!" Esme screamed. Her perfect hair was billowing around her face, and I had the sudden urge to pull her towards me to comfort her.

As we got closer, I saw the most amazing sight. Edward was pulling Madie from the water, setting her on the edge of a large rock. Madie looked shaken, wide eyed as she looked around. Her clothes were sticking to her, and I gasped when I saw a large cut on her forehead, dripping blood.

Edward was dripping wet as well, his hair slicked back from his face. His eyes were steady though, searching through the crowd.

"Esme!" he yelled. Esme rushed forward, and the two of them succeeded in pulling Madie further on the shore. My brain was in overdrive, and I took in the wet clothing on both of them. It was thirty degrees out.

"Everybody get back!" Esme yelled. Most of the kids walked away, staring at the sight warily. But everyone was alive, so they didn't seem too interested it seemed. No more excitement. But I turned to Alice and spoke quickly.

"Go get Edward's jacket that he threw off back there, please!" She nodded and took off without question. Rosalie looked after her with tears in her eyes, but looked back at me.

"What do I do?" she asked. I knew she felt horrible for what happened, but I didn't need her to have a melt down.

"How many layers do you have on?" I asked. She looked startled, but seemed to understand why I was asking. She looked down and started to shed her jacket. I looked down at my own attire and quickly took my jacket off so I could get to my sweater. Under my sweater I had a long sleeved shirt, but with just my sweater and jacket I would be more than fine.

"Esme!" I yelled. She turned around quickly, and I forced myself not to stop when I saw that Edward was looking as well.

"We're an hour away from the campsite," I said as I pulled my sweater over my head. I ignored the biting cold and forged on. "They have to get out of as much of the wet clothes as possible and into something dry. I threw my sweater down and pulled my jacket back on, zipping it up. It took Esme a second, but she nodded.

"Yes, yes, Edward, get out of your shirt and shoes. Boys!" she turned to the male students who hadn't walked away. "I need you all to shed the extra layers you're wearing, meaning sweaters or shirts. Emmett, I need your socks." Bless Emmett and his love of the warmth, because within a minute he had his socks off and a shirt as well as his sweater. He handed over the clothes to Edward, who had already shed his shoes and shirt. I paused when my eyes raked over his torso, and I knew I was gaping at how his skin glistened in the sun.

"Bella!" Alice was back. I tore my eyes away from Edward and grabbed the jacket from her. Rushing to Edward, I held it out.

"You'll have to deal with wet pants, but you at least have dry shirts and your jacket. Maybe you can go without shoes?" His shoes were sopping wet, but he didn't seem to care. He shook out as much water as possible and shoved them over the dry socks.

"Thank you," he said as he pulled the shirts on and then his jacket. I turned to Madie and held my hand out.

"Let's get you out of sight so we can get this stuff off," I whispered. Esme helped me get her to her feet, and Alice and Rosalie followed behind me as we ducked behind some trees. I looked at Madie and had to bite back a sob. She was shaking, tears mixing with the blood as it trickled down her face. I pulled my bandana off of my head and pressed it to her cut, wiping the blood off of her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently. She looked at me and nodded quickly. I shook my head once, knowing that she was lying. No one would be okay after that.

"Okay, let's get you into something dry." We worked quickly, pulling Madie's shirts over her head quickly. When she went to cover her bra I smacked her hands away.

"Now is not the time to get shy," I muttered. I pulled the spare shirt over her head, followed by Rosalie's sweater. Rose paused though after that was on her, and ripped her jacket off.

"Rosalie, what are you doing?" Esme asked. But she shook her head, pulling Madie's arms through the jacket.

"I'll be fine with my sweater. Madie needs more layers." I knew she was feeling guilty, so I let it go. I shed my socks for her, wishing we were able to shed her pants as well.

"I wish I could contribute," Alice whispered. But Madie shook her head.

"Girl, you're too small for me to fit in." We all laughed, pulling her into a hug.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked. Madie shook her head slowly.

"I don't know. But it was strange. I was pulled under so quickly, and it seemed like seconds later Mr. Masen was pulling me out. I don't know how he found me. I couldn't see anything. I don't know how he did it. I don't understand."

"Okay girls, let's get back to the campsite," Esme rushed us out from behind the tree. The other students rushed forward, asking Madie so many questions I was sure she wouldn't be able to answer them all. I wasn't able to shoo them away though because I was pulled to the side. Edward was staring at me with those haunting grey eyes, and I had to stop myself from pulling him into a hug.

"Are you okay?" I asked him quietly. He nodded, his lips pulling into a crooked smirk.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little cold." He pointed to his pants and I smiled.

"That I understand." I looked at him and tried to give him a stern look. "You could have killed yourself."

"But I didn't," Edward said quickly. He reached around and put his hand on my back. "Let's get going. I have a feeling this camping trip will be cut short."

Cut short indeed. The second we all got back to the campsite and Madie and Edward were in dry clothing, we were heading back towards school. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward spoke about it for all of a minute and a half, and we were on our way. My mind was still reeling with what had happened, and I didn't listen much to the conversation the girls were having around me. Alice took one look at me and didn't seem to question my silence—I guess I didn't look very social.

In all honesty, I was thinking about my vision. I wasn't sure how to approach the topic in my own mind, so I didn't know how to ask anyone about it. I had never had many problems with my eyes, and when I was thirteen and the doctor told me I would have to wear glasses all the time instead of just reading, my mother agreed that I was old enough to wear contacts. My prescription apparently hadn't changed much in the four years I'd been wearing them, and I never wore them for too long before throwing them away. So why, then, was I having blurry vision and seeing things so much differently. I didn't know what happened out by the river, but it was the same thing that happened on my first day in class when I was on that pole. And last night when I was by the water with Edward, when everything went blurry… it didn't make sense.

"Esme?" I found myself saying. She turned to me, and I figured, why not? "Is there anyway I can get my eyes checked or something? For the past few weeks, everything has been blurry. I don't feel comfortable or safe with these contacts in." She nodded and patted my back.

"Of course, Bella. I'll make an appointment for you when we get back to school." And just like that she turned around and directed her attention back to Madie.

"Everything okay?" Alice asked me. I sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, just need to get my eyes checked," I laughed. I looked ahead, wondering how much longer we were going to be hiking when I saw Edward staring at me. I started to smile, but I felt it falter on my lips. He wasn't smiling. No, it was like he was examining me, like he was listening to my conversation. I raised my eyebrow in question, and like that he was out of his trance. Smiling, he turned back around and started a conversation with Jasper.

* * *

When I awoke the following morning, there was a note on our door, telling me that I had an appointment at eleven o'clock with the doctor for my eyes. After I had told Esme that my eyes were becoming blurry, she had spoken to Carlisle and had made arrangements for John to take me to town to see the optometrist. According to Alice they usually did this at the beginning of the year for all of the students, but apparently my case was more urgent. After all, they couldn't expect me to function if I couldn't _see_.

I sat for a moment with Madie, making sure she was still okay. When we had gotten back to campus, she was rushed to the infirmary and a doctor was called in to put a couple stitches in Madie's cut. Edward, though, refused treatment. Said he was fine and due to quick thinking of a student, he wasn't suffering from hypothermia. I blushed at that.

I looked out the window and my mouth dropped open. There was a light coat of snow blanketing the grass, and the few students that were already walking around had their snow boots and jackets on. I smiled and picked an outfit suitable for the weather, and headed towards the Director's house. I was surprised that it had already started to snow, but what surprised me more was that it was just that—snow. Back home there was rain involved most of the time, which in turn became slush.

Justin and John were sitting out front, donned in their uniforms and snow hats, leaning against the school's van.

"Good morning!" I called over. I hadn't seen them since I had first arrived at the school, and I wondered if they would act any differently towards me now that I wasn't a flight risk. But they turned to me and smiled.

"Hey trouble, you ready to go?" Justin asked.

"Absolutely, are both of you escorting me?" It did look like I was getting the armed guard to take me, but I suppose that when it came to someone leaving campus, they had to take the precautions.

"You bet," John smacked me on the back and opened the door for me. The flashback of my night leaving home threatened to come back, but I pushed it aside.

The ride into town was uneventful, but my face was pressed to the window of the van the entire way to the doctor's office. I hadn't been into town yet, so everything seemed so new to me. The school campus was set back miles away from town, for privacy I was sure. But when we reached the main street, I stared in awe at the miles of small shops and different restaurants.

"Quaint town, isn't it?" John asked. I nodded, not sure if he would be able to see me. Finally we pulled into the parking lot of a three story building, and I smiled at the large neon glasses that shone in the window. The interior of the office reminded me of the office back home, muted colors on the walls and floor, and bright paintings. The office was busy, but when the receptionist saw Justin and John lead me through, she smiled and brought us directly to one of the exam rooms.

"So, what are you guys, VIP?" I laughed to them. The room we were brought to was fairly large, and graphic pictures of eyes were strewn over the walls. I was busy staring at the picture of a man with an eye infection when the doctor walked through the door.

"Hello Justin, John, how are you?" The men shook hands and they were immediately dismissed from the room.

"And you must be Isabella," the doctor said. The man was around the same age as the Director, a slight graying in his hair. His kind brown eyes stared into mine, and I felt the corners of my mouth turn upwards.

"Bella," I corrected him. He laughed and shook my hand.

"My apologies, Bella, I am Dr. Dresely. I've been told that you're having problems with your contacts?" And then my exam began. I explained to the doctor that my vision had started to become blurry, almost out of no where. And even though I had just had an exam six months ago, I needed everything checked.

"That's fine, I'll just have you take your contacts out and then we'll do that exam." Dr. Dresely seemed so calm and serene, I felt comfortable around him. I took the contacts out and immediately threw them into the trash. Since I was seven, my mother had been bringing me to the Optometrist, claiming that I was squinting when I was reading (which was most of the time). I knew from experience that my vision had never changed like this, and I told the doctor that. Never had my vision blurred so quickly, and never had I been forced to visit someone on emergency basis.

When the exam was done, the doctor was looking at me in confusion.

"Well, Bella, your parents supplied the school with your previous medical records, so I do have your old prescriptions from your doctor." Dr. Dresely was staring at my chart with his fingers running along his chin. "Your prescription has changed somewhat dramatically from your last visit to the doctor to now." I was confused, and rubbed my eyes like that would help me see.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. I knew nothing, and in order for me to understand this, he would have to break it down for me.

"Well," he continued, "from the exam six months ago to the exam today, your prescription has gone from 20/400 to 20/200. In lames terms, it's gotten better…dramatically." The numbers meant nothing to me. All I understood was that somehow my eyes were getting better.

"Does this happen often?" I asked. I knew the answer before the doctor looked at me in perplexed confusion.

"No, Bella, this never happens without surgery or corrective lenses." And with that, Dr. Dresely gave me a new supply of contacts, instructing me to come back in six months for a check.

"If you need me Bella, please come back," he said. I thanked him and met Justin and John by the van.

"Everything go okay?" John asked. I nodded and climbed into the backseat of the van, bag in hand. I was still baffled by what the doctor said, not understanding the situation. He said that it never happened, when someone's prescription got better, but that was impossible. _My_ eyes were getting better apparently. Maybe it was the change in lifestyle, like a body change only my eyes were taking the toll? I wasn't sure, but I was glad that the contacts in my eyes were crystal clear and I'd be fine now.

* * *

Later that night, I decided that being up in the bedroom with the other girls was not how I wanted to spend my evening.

"I'm going for a walk," I told Alice. I pulled on my thickest jacket and grabbed my purple wool blanket from the foot of my bed.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked. I considered it for a second, but shook my head. I had too many things to run through in my mind, and with Alice's personality, I knew she would ask questions.

I crept down to the dock, glad that because of the cold weather everyone else on campus was holed up inside. No one littered the walkways, and no sounds were coming from any of the buildings. Night inside to them. Sitting down on the edge, I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, tucking myself in a ball.

I could hear the waves lap along the bottom of the dock, and I folded my legs beneath me as I sat down on the wooden planks. I watched the sun set over the water. Behind me lights clicked on in the bedrooms and I pictured the girls huddled around playing cards.

I sighed peacefully as I gazed into the setting sun, and I thought of the last time I was sitting and watching the sun set. It was months ago, after rehearsal when Ryan surprised me and took me to the movies at the drive-in theatre.

My eyes prickled with tears as I thought about my last moments with him, and of how he tried to be so heroic. He'd tried to rescue me, and where did that leave him? The sun sank further into the water and in the distance I heard a siren. How long had I been out here?

_Curfew._ I sighed angrily, realizing I wouldn't be allowed to sit and watch the sunset here. I set a mental timer; I had a ten minute limit until I had to be in the building.

"Beautiful view, huh?" I felt my heart jump and turned to look behind me. Edward was standing a few feet away, staring into the sun. My heart refused to slow its beating, so I tried to level my breathing.

"Yes. But the only time anyone can watch it properly is at curfew. So I always miss it." Edward approached me and lowered his body to sit next to mine. I tried as hard as possible to react naturally, and not to stare at him like I wanted to, but he looked just too beautiful.

From his pocket, Edward unearthed a small hand radio. His gaze met mine, and I forced myself not to look away. While holding my eyes, he pressed a large button on the face of the device.

"Esme, this is Edward, come in." There was static for a moment, and then I heard Esme's voice over the frequency.

"This is Esme, what's up?" Edward's gaze never wavered.

"I have Bella here, code seven. Won't be back until after curfew." My eyebrows shot up, and I wanted to laugh aloud.

"Roger that," Esme responded, "no later than two." I let the small laugh escape my throat.

"Two in the morning?" I asked incredulously. Edward tucked the radio back into his pocket and smiled.

"No, two hours." I shook my head slowly.

"What is code seven?" I asked, pulling the blanket closer around me.

"It's emergency private therapy for mental anguish," he said calmly. I blinked.

"But I'm not in mental anguish," I responded. Edward's hand flittered out and tugged on a stray strand of hair.

"Ow!" I protested, and my hand automatically flew up to massage my scalp. Edward laughed.

"See? Anguish." I laughed with him and felt instantly happier that I could watch the entire sunset.

"Thank you Edward, for giving me some extra time out here." He smiled and extended his hand. Looking down I saw a chocolate cupcake filling his palm.

"Consider it a belated birthday present," he said softly. My heart skipped a beat, and I reached out to lift the pastry from his hand. "After all, it isn't like you're allergic or anything." We laughed quietly.

"You remembered," I said, not trusting my voice completely. He had appeared like a God, excusing me from curfew and wishing me a happy birthday (even though it was two months late). It was a dream, surely.

"Of course I remembered," Edward responded gently. I smiled at him and ran my fingers along the chocolate frosting. Licking it off my finger, I held the cupcake out.

"Want some?" I asked. I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't know if he would accept. Edward smiled though and held up his other hand. In it was another cupcake.

"Are you kidding me?" he joked, "that one is all for the birthday girl. I brought extra." We laughed and watched the sun set in silence while we ate our desert. I felt my stomach cramp, and I didn't know what to say to him.

"So are you glad to be here, or do you wish you were back at home?" Edward asked when we were done with the cupcakes. I kept my eyes on the sunset and took a deep breath. Was it just me or did he move closer? My imagination was going wild.

"I'm a lot happier here than at home," I told him honestly. He nodded.

"I understand what you mean," he said. Did he? I thought for a second about the conversation I had with Alice a few weeks ago, and I thought to myself, _Why not ask now?_

"Is it my turn to ask about you now?" I asked him. Edward tilted his head to the side, as if contemplating the decision.

"I suppose,' he said, "after all, how else are we supposed to learn about each other?" I laughed and nodded.

"So there's this rumor that you were once a student here." There, I took a chance and the statement was out in the air. Edward smiled though.

"Wow, I wonder what else people say about me," he laughed. If only he knew.

"Well Bella," he started, "I was in fact a student here once upon a time." I nodded, watching as the remainder of the sun sank below the horizon. Edward and I were left in semi-darkness, only having light from the buildings behind us and the small sliver of moon that was peeking from beneath the clouds. I felt oddly alone with him, and I wondered if anyone on shore could see us.

"Do you mind if I ask why you were here?" I took the chance, and asked. I knew I was jumping into his personal space, but I wanted to know as much as possible. Edward watched me though, his eyes floating over my face carefully. I tried not to blush in the darkness, and I stared back at him without blinking.

"Well, I could tell you, but you need to promise me that what is said and done between us on this dock, in fact stays between us." I nodded immediately, agreeing to his demands.

"I promise," I said. And then I paused. _Done_ between us? My heart pounded harder. There, again, I saw him move closer. Was I wrong or just paranoid?

"Well, when I was fifteen years old, I was involved with the wrong crowd." Edward spoke quietly. I watched his face in the dark, watching emotion play across his features. "You could say I lived on the wrong side of the tracks." I felt my body turn automatically towards him, and I set my chin in my hand.

"There was a 'turf war' of some sorts going on," Edward continued, "and I was a part of the fight. I don't remember exactly what happened, but I woke up in the hospital with bleeding in my brain, a total of two hundred stitches, and a hell of a black eye." My eyes were wide as I listened to him tell his story.

"So your parents sent you here?" I asked. Edward shook his head slightly.

"Actually, I was sent here after my parents and the police made a deal. Instead of jail, I got Carlisle."

"Carlisle?" I asked. Edward ran his arms along his arms and nodded.

"When I came here, he was my lead counselor." He paused, looking from the water to me.

"He saved my life." Such a simple statement and yet such a burden to have on someone's shoulders.

"Is that where the scar came from?" I asked, pointing behind Edward's left ear. I felt my fingers brushing along his skin, and I flushed. I didn't realize he was that close to me.

"Yeah, someone decided that was a great place for a knife," he said sarcastically. I nodded and watched as he rubbed his hands along his arms again. I looked closer and realized he was only wearing a long sleeved shirt, no jacket in sight. Looking at myself, I saw that I had three layers, not including the blanket.

"Here," I offered, moving to remove the purple fabric from around my shoulders. "You must be freezing." But Edward's hand shot out to cover my knee.

"We'll share," he said. I felt my heart slam against my chest as he moved closer still, pressing his arm against my right side and putting the blanket around the two of us.

My breathing was shallow, and I felt panicked. I looked up into Edward's face, and found my panic look turn to a smile. I could feel his skin warm under our cover, and I worked to control my heartbeat in case he could hear it.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if tomorrow were your eighteenth birthday?" Edward said out of no where. My eyebrows rose on my forehead and I tilted my head to the side. I had been wondering what he was thinking since he had walked onto that dock. Had he decided that he liked me enough to break all the rules? Or did he want to keep the relationship strictly platonic?

"Yes I have," I responded honestly and quietly.

"I was thinking about what we were talking about when we went camping," he said. There it was; the conversation we were both waiting for. "I wanted you to know that I didn't like the fact that everything is left in my court. You're an adult, no matter how people view it. You need to have a say in this, too." I shut my mouth and wondered what in the world he wanted me to say. Of course I wanted something from him. I wanted hugs and to take long walks on the beach with someone who understood me for _me_. I wanted a relationship where nothing was held back, and my heart was telling me that I wanted a lot of these things with Edward. But most of all I wanted to not feel guilty for moving on so quickly from Ryan.

"I wish I could watch the sunset every night," I found myself saying. Edward's laughter shook his body, and I found myself leaning closer to him.

"That would sure make things interesting, wouldn't it?" Edward muttered. I smiled, nodding as I tried to keep my gaze on the rolling waves. Seconds ticked by, quickly becoming minutes. And as the minutes passed by, I forced my bravery to surface.

I lifted my hand from between my knees where they were warming, to my thigh, palm up. I almost shoved my hand back between my knees, but I saw Edward move. It was only a fraction of an inch, but I saw it. I left my hand on top of my leg, and kept my eyes straight at the horizon.

Edward's hand lifted and then flittered back to his lap. Staring from the corner of my eye, I saw him bite his lip. _He's trying to decide something._

Do it, I found myself saying internally. _He _was the one who had to take this step, not me. He was the one who had to reach for me. I hated it, but it was true. My heart started beating loudly again, and this time I didn't act to control it.

What was happening? I wondered.

And then his hand moved to my knee, resting gently on my jeans. My breath left my lungs, and I could feel blood rush to my head. I closed my eyes, controlling my breathing. I could feel Edward's fingers tighten in pressure ever so slightly. My fingers curled into a fist, just next to his, and almost gasped when I felt his hand slid up my leg and touch my hand. I loosened the grip I held on myself and smiled when Edward slipped his hand into mine.

"Bella," I heard him whisper. My eyes flew open and I turned towards him. Edward was close, his grey eyes looking silver in the moonlight. I squeezed his hand tightly, and I watched as he closed his eyes. I refused to look away from his face, wanting to spend as much time as possible memorizing it. When Edward opened his eyes again, he reached to run his thumb along my bottom lip.

"Unable are the love to die," he whispered, "For love is immortality. Nay, it is deity." My hands were shaking and I could feel my lip below his thumb tremble.

This was wrong in a way, I knew it. He was much older than me, and my teacher. _Not that much older,_ I heard a voice say, _and it doesn't really matter._ My eyes widened. It was the same voice I heard in the Rec Hall a month ago. It wasn't my voice in my head; it wasn't me who said that.

"Edward," I whispered to him. His eyes opened and I knew that if I didn't leave then, I was going to react irrationally. I quickly leaned forward and kissed his cheek, an impulse that I didn't regret at all.

"I better go," I whispered. I let go of his hand and stood carefully; I didn't trust my legs to support me. I paused for a second and tucked my blanket around Edward's shoulders. Looking into his eyes for a moment, I turned and started walking to my room. I wouldn't look behind me as I walked away, mostly because I was afraid to see him staring at me as I walked.

I entered my building and snuck into my room. Everyone was tucked into bed, eyes closed. Looking closely at the clock, I realized it was almost ten at night. I'd been out there for over an hour.

I changed quickly and crept to my bed. Doing a double take, I eyed the window, acting on impulse. Looking out into the night, I craned my neck to see the dock Edward and I had been sitting on. I couldn't see anything, so I sighed and began to turn back to my bed. But then I saw something move. Looking back into the night, I focused on the pathway in front of the building. My heart jumped when I saw Edward walking along the dirt walkway. He chose that moment to look up and his gaze met mine.

Edward and I stared at each other, a knowing look in each of our eyes. Slowly, I smiled at him. His face lit up in the moonlight, and I saw that the blanket I left behind was tucked under his arm. He lifted a hand and waved to me, still smiling. And as I remembered the texture of his skin against my hand, I waved back, stepping back into the darkness.

I went to bed that night, my mind filled with thoughts of Edward and memories of our time at sunset.

* * *

**Yep. Comense tears... now. I know, I know. The thought of Edward sitting next to you at sunset and giving you a chocolate cupcake makes you want to review. I won't stop you.**

**Any thoughts? What is going on with Bella's vision? What's with her strange ability to zoom in on things? How did Edward find Madie in the river that quickly? **

**I am honestly not pausing before working on the next chapter. I want to spit out as much as possible before I get a stick up my ass and put a week between updates. I don't want to torture you like that. Remember REVIEW! ~Ashley**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello all! I know I'm spitting the chapters out quick, but you love me for it. I know you do. There's going to be more of a pause between this chapter and the next because I came up with an idea to shove in there. For your amusement of course. But I promise not to keep you waiting too long. After all, there's three and a half FEET of snow outside my door, and my car is trapped in. I have nowhere to go lol. Gee I love snow.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. BUT- I do own a sticker that says 'yes, I'm a bitch so fucking what?'. My friend gave it to me... I think they're trying to tell me something. SIGH.**

* * *

The next morning came too quickly, and I tried to feign sleep as the other girls got ready for school.

"Bella, I know you're awake," Alice's voice laughed. I groaned and sat up, feeling my hair tangle into a knot on the top of my head.

"Good morning all," I said cheerily. They all looked at me funny and I fingered my hair, wondering if it was really that bad.

"So where were _you_ last night?" Dee asked. She was already dressed in a black running suit, and I wondered how late it was.

"Oh, I uh, had a therapy session with one of the counselors. They called it code seven." _Please don't ask with who, please don't ask with who._

"Which teacher?" Dee asked. I wanted to cry.

"The Teamwork guy, Masen." Everyone just nodded, but Alice was watching me from her bed with wide eyes.

"I'm going to get ready," I muttered. I went into the closet and started to choose my outfit. Usually I would just grab jeans and a shirt, but today felt different.

And then I knew. I wanted to look good for Edward. I should be ashamed, but I wasn't. I chose a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved white shirt. Looking at my jackets and pullovers, I picked out a white down jacket.

I showered quickly and fixed my hair into a French braid, making sure I matched perfectly. I went to leave the room and found Alice waiting for me in the hall.

"Hey," I smiled at her. She walked by me on the way to the Rec Hall, and I tried hard to keep my mind away from what could be on the other side of those walls.

"So, why so dressed up?" Alice asked. I tried to look shocked at the implication beneath her question, and I opened my mouth in mock anger. But when my eyes met Alice's, the charade dropped.

"Oh don't give me that look," I muttered. Alice laughed and pushed me lightly on the shoulder.

"So last night was fun? What did you guys do?" she whispered. I looked around to make sure we were alone in our conversation, and I smiled.

"I was down by the dock, watching the sunset. The curfew siren went off, and he showed up. Gave me the gift of staying out to watch it." Alice eyed me curiously, shaking her head.

"I don't believe that's all that happened," she said bluntly. Was it the blush in my cheeks that gave me away?

"Okay, well, he held my hand for a few minutes, but I had to leave. So I kissed his cheek and went to bed." Alice stopped walking and I had to turn to face her.

"The man holds your hand and you run away?" she asked, bewildered. I rolled my eyes and reached out to grab her arm, propelling her forward. We were almost at the Rec Hall, and when we were inside the conversation had to stop.

"I didn't _run away_," I whispered. "I just wasn't ready for whatever was going to happen." It was the truth I realized. I didn't know what would have happened if I had let the night continue, but I knew that I didn't have enough time to prepare myself for it.

"Okay babe," Alice said as we walked through the door, "just take your time and most of all keep me in the loop." I laughed at her and forced myself to keep my eyes straight when I joined the crowd, and not look around the room. Alice walked ahead of me to the food just as I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and my heart began to beat erratically.

"Hey," Edward whispered; I smiled.

"So, I was up half the night," he continued to say in a low tone, "thinking of how it wasn't fair that you were basically the hypothermic hero the other day, and you were getting away without a proper thank you. After all, I was given so many hugs that I now know what every person smells like on the staff." I laughed, trying to look casual.

"So," Edward continued, "I decided you should get _something_." And then he pulled a muffin from behind his back. Not a small, dried up thing, but a large chocolate chip mass, worthy of any pastry shop.

"You didn't have to do that," I said with a smile, accepting the token. He shrugged and his eyes lingered on mine.

"See you in class, there's another surprise for you there." And then he was gone. I sat down at the table, happy that the girls weren't paying attention to me. I set the muffin on the table in front of me and stared at it, wondering if he went to a lot of trouble getting this for me. He was being so sweet, and I didn't know how to react.

"Where'd you get _that_?" Madie asked. I looked up to see everyone eyeing the chocolate muffin in front of me.

"From in there," I pointed towards the food displays. I had to act natural, or they'd suspect something off.

"Those are usually in the teacher's lounge," Rosalie whined. I laughed, trying to blow it.

"Well, it's their mistake, and I'm not turning it in!" Everyone laughed and turned back to their conversation. But I noticed that Alice wasn't laughing, but instead eyeing me with suspicion. I ignored the look she gave me, and instead looked around the cafeteria.

My eyes landed on Edward, and I allowed my lips to turn into a smile. He, too, held onto a muffin, and he lifted it in the air in salute. I did the same and turned to my friends.

_What did this mean?_

* * *

My stomach was full of butterflies as Alice and I made our way to our first class of the day. How was I supposed to act around him? It was when I saw all of the students from the class sitting in the grass that I realized I was not allowed to act any different than I usually did.

We all waited for class to begin, wondering what the lesson entailed. From behind me I heard someone approach, boots crunching in the few patches of snow that remained.

"Hello class, you ready to rock climb?" Edward asked. Everyone cheered and I stood quickly as everyone sprang to their feet. Brushing the grass form my jeans, I turned to Edward and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked, giving me a look that made my skin tingle. Alice came up next to me and linked arms.

"She was born ready!" We all put our bags under the pole at the rope course and helped lift all of the equipment that Edward had brought out for the class.

"Oh, one more thing guys!" The class turned to listen, "everyone is excused from their morning classes so that we have enough time to complete this class." Cheers hung in the air again, and I felt happiness. Five full hours with Edward and Alice, what else could I ask for?

Alice and I carried coils of rope along a trail for quite a while, chatting about the exercise we were going to do.

"Have you ever gone rock climbing before?" I asked her. Surely they did this often, especially since they didn't have to travel far.

"Actually, they only let the students do this once or twice a year. I wonder what the special occasion is?" I blushed.

After twenty minutes the path dead ended into a stone wall. It took me a moment to realize it was actually a pile of rocks, extending what seemed to be hundreds of feet into the air.

"Holy crap." It sounded weird coming from Alice's tiny figure, but I agreed. Emmett, who had been leading the group, turned to Edward and looked somewhat worried.

"We're climbing _that_?" Edward nodded and motioned him forward.

"This is where we let the boys do the work," Alice laughed. And she was right; most of the girls sat along a wall made of the rocks we were about to climb, and the guys were all crowded around to set everything up.

I forced myself to ignore the guys, but periodically felt eyes on me. After a while, I looked over to see Edward suited up with gear and a helmet on. Several coils of rope hung over his shoulder, and he was eyeing the wall.

"What are you doing?" Alice took the words right out of my mouth.

"I am going to free climb to the top so I can set up the pulley system." He said it so carelessly, like he did it every day. I watched with admiration and horror as Edward started to climb the wall. I had to force myself to breathe as I watched his back ascend quickly. My female hormones kicked into overdrive and I could feel myself sweat as I watched the muscles beneath his black long sleeved shirt tighten with each foot that he rose into the sky.

"I hope he doesn't expect us to get up there that quickly," a girl, Tina, said. I laughed and realized the truth behind her exclamation.

Minutes later, Edward was at the top, staring down at his class. We all cheered and watched as he set up the ropes, throwing one of the ends down.

"We're going to have the guys climb up first," Edward yelled down, "then I'm coming down to help the ladies up." The crowd agreed and we started harnessing up the first guy. I watched from my rock next to Alice as Oliver started to climb.

"Well I know why they excused us from morning classes," Angela laughed, "this is going to take forever." I glanced at my wrist watch and noticed that she was right. We were over half the allotted time our class gave us, and we hadn't even begun.

I sat back and cheered each student on as they took their turns climbing the wall. And with each passing turn, I grew more scared. What if I fell like Paul did, but the rope doesn't lock? What if some kind of hidden fear kicked in and I get stuck half way up, and someone has to come rescue me? The irrational thoughts kept churning in my head until the last guy made his way up, victoriously pumping his fist into the air when he reached the top.

I clapped along with all the girls, and stood as I watched Edward reattach his harness, propelling himself down. He moved with such grace and ease, that it was hard to tear my eyes away from him.

"Put your eyes back in your head," Alice whispered. I jumped and blushed, glad that it didn't seem that anyone had heard her.

"Remember what I said," Edward yelled, "it's your job to make sure the rope is tight!" They all agreed, and Edward turned to the girl to his right.

"You're next." I was glad people jumped ahead of me, giving me time to myself. I still hadn't decided if I was okay with all of this.

But time was up after an hour, and Alice was then taking her turn to climb the jagged rocks in the air.

"You okay?" Edward asked me. I nodded, eyes still glued to Alice's hands gripping the rock.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I tore my eyes away from Alice's ass and looked him in the eye.

"It's a rare occasion that we could be alone," he said, "so I wanted to take the opportunity to ask if you were okay about last night." Yep, my heart stopped. I stood dry mouthed as Edward looked up to give Alice a thumps up when she reached the top.

"Great job, Alice!" he yelled. I wanted to congratulate her, but I was stupefied. Edward looked back down as I stood quiet, and his smile wavered slightly.

"Because if not, I understand." He reached over to help me attach the harness. I could tell that he was trying not to ramble on with his words, and it made it harder for him.

"But if you by chance _were_ okay with it," he paused, his fingers resting on my waist, "then I would like to talk to you about that." I understood his meaning. Edward looked up towards the other students and motioned for someone to throw something down. A helmet whizzed by my face, but I barely noticed it. Instead my heart was jumping for joy. Edward set the helmet on my head, carefully clipping the strap beneath my chin. His fingers caressed the skin along my jaw gently.

"Well?" he asked. I swallowed hard and smiled. I took a daring step forward, hoping that nobody was watching too closely. Edward's eyes shone in the sunlight, almost as silver as they were beneath the moon.

"I am _more_ than okay with it," I whispered. Edward blinked and then I heard a 'whoosh' of air expel from his lungs.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that," he said. He bent down to pick up another helmet, and he strapped it under his own chin.

"Bella and I are going to come up together," he yelled to the others, "I need you to prepare another rope and throw it down." I watched him as he attached me to the first rope, and repeated it for him. He stared at me with a smile, and grasped hold of the rocks in front of him.

"You ready?" he laughed. I tried to return the laughter, but just felt the anxious feeling settle back in. I looked to my left quickly, easily glad I had someone climbing right beside me.

And we began.

One hand out in front of the other; one grunt after the next. I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye, watching me as I rose into the air. My fingers dug into the crevices the rocks made, blowing pieces of dirt out of my face when it fell.

"You can do it Bella!" Alice, sweet Alice. I looked up briefly to see that she was closer than I thought. Then I made the mistake of looking down.

"Holy crap," I muttered.

"Don't look down Bella." I ignored Edward. I kept my eyes shut and concentrated on my breathing techniques.

"Bella, sweetie, look at me." He called me sweetie, I cheered to myself. I wanted to laugh to myself, at how I was reacting. But instead I opened my eyes and looked at Edward, three feet away form me.

"You got it, let's do this together." I nodded and closed my eyes again. Pushing myself upwards, I opened my eyes when I felt my fingers grab hold of a rock above me.

Except that it was blurry. I blinked a few more times, trying to correct my vision, but everything looked like an oil painting dipped in water. What the hell? Hadn't I just had this _fixed_?

"What's wrong?" Alice called down. I looked up, barely making out her figure.

"My contacts are blurry again. I think there's something in them." And it was weird. I didn't _feel_ anything in my eyes, but I had no other explanation. I had just seen the doctor a week ago, and my contact prescription was _just_ changed.

"Do you need help?" Edward asked. I shook my head, blinking furiously.

"No, it's just the oddest thing…" I never finished my sentence, and my grip was slipping. I should have been suspended in mid-air when I let go of the rock, but I felt the wind start to rush by my face. I was falling—fast. My mouth opened to scream, but the scream never left my mouth, and I felt a hand grasp around my wrist. I opened my eyes and almost cried. The contacts were fine now, completely clear. And I was looking directly into Edward's face. Taking the scene in as a whole, I would have died of fright, and was somewhat thankful for my limited view.

Edward had let go of his rope when I fell, and the harness had turned him upside down. I could see the muscles in his arm flex as he held onto me tightly, swaying in the breeze.

"Edward!" I screamed. I let my fingers of my left hand curl to clasp his wrist, and tried as hard as possible to pull my right arm up.

"Are you guys okay?" Alice screamed down. I felt tears prick my eyes as my gaze remained locked with Edward's. He had the look of absolute fear in his eyes, which wouldn't be there if everything was indeed okay. Again I frantically tried to reach my right arm upwards to hold onto something and cried out in relief when Edward's other hand caught it.

"Pull us up!" Edward screamed. He looked down to me and lowered his voice.

"It's going to be okay," he said, "I won't let you go." I believed him, and felt the rope tug us upwards, rising further into the air. I found myself praying that the others wouldn't let us go, and it wasn't long until I saw Edward's feet disappear over the ledge. Seconds after that he was pulling me up after him. I felt the firm ground hit my knees, and I fell forward onto the cold, hard ground. I pressed my face into my shirt sleeve and began to cry.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Should we go get help?" The questions whirled around us, until Edward hushed them all.

"Everyone pack up, we're going back to school now." But students still threw anxious questions at him.

"_Now!_" I'd never heard him use the commanding authority tone before, and from the silence I heard, neither had they.

"Can you stand?" I heard his voice in my ear. I had managed to collect myself, and I nodded. Looking up, I saw that everyone was packing up the harnesses, helmets, and ropes, only glancing at us periodically.

"I'm fine," I said. I wasn't really, and I could still feel my heart in my throat.

"Okay, let's get back to campus everyone. Emmett, you know the way." I stood shakily, allowing Edward to help remove the harness and helmet that still constrained me from moving. I was glad to be rid of the equipment, not sure if I would be doing this again anytime soon. I walked next to Edward in the back of the line, taking the path down the mountain and back to the school.

"What happened?" Edward asked me in a whisper. I thought of my contacts and how just minutes ago I wasn't able to see through them.

"There was something in my eye I think," I said, "or so I thought, and I couldn't see. But after I fell everything went back to normal. It's the same thing that happened when we were by the lake. Everything was so blurry."

"Shit," Edward said. I understood his exclamation, but I suddenly wanted answers of my own.

"What happened to my rope?" I asked. "I thought I wasn't supposed to be able to fall. I was supposed to stop in the air like you and everyone else." Edward just shook his head. I accepted his hand as I stumbled over a large tree root, and wanted badly to keep his hand in mine until we returned to school.

"I don't know," he finally said, "but I'm demanding new equipment from Carlisle." We walked in silence, Edward occasionally letting his hand squeeze mine and then letting it go before anyone could see. As we walked onto campus, I felt somewhat back to normal, vowing to myself that when I took my contacts out that evening, they were going in the trash.

In the distance I saw shapes come into focus, and I watched as Carlisle and Esme headed straight for us.

"I don't see how we can get in trouble from rock climbing," I started to say when I saw how serious the Director looked. But when I looked at Edward, he was shaking his head.

"I don't think that's the problem."

"Bella," Carlisle said quietly. A few people from class walked by and tried to eavesdrop, naturally, but Esme seemed to be the lookout, and stared down anyone who tried to pay attention. "I need you to come to the main house immediately." My heart started to pound.

"Why, what did I do?" I saw Alice and Angela just feet away, turning and staring.

"Your parents are here," the Director said, and I felt instantly nauseous. "To wish you a happy Thanksgiving." My head started to pound as Esme took my arm and let me towards the house. Thanksgiving? Was that already so close? When was it? Had it already passed?

_Why_ were they here? Why did they think I wanted them there?

"Edward, you should come along," I heard Carlisle say, although I was sure he would have come one way or another.

I was led to the living room where my mother and father were sitting on a red couch, holding hands. My mother jumped up and looked as if she wanted to hug me, but stopped. I realized then what I must look like to her; dirt stains on my clothes and face, hair disheveled.

"Bella, what happened to you?" I ignored the question and bit back a bitter remark.

"Hello," I whispered.

"What the hell happened to you?" my father repeated the question, yelling it into the room. I winced and glared at him. Even if I had been as clean as I was that morning, he would have found _something_ to say. I could feel everyone shift uneasily around me. It was almost comical; Edward, Esme and I face my parents, and Carlisle stood off to the side as a referee.

"We just came back from rock climbing," Edward spoke up.

"Rock climbing?" my mother shrieked, and my father turned to the Director.

"You people are supposed to be teaching her not to be a pain in the ass. How is _rock climbing_ fixing that?" I saw Edward take a stop forward immediately.

"Bella is _not_ a pain in the ass, and I don't appreciate you saying that." My eyes widened and I stared in awe as I heard his voice take on the authoritative tone I had heard on the top of the mountain. "And it wasn't just rock climbing as you so mockingly put it. She was in a class; a class that teaches teamwork and how to abide by the rules, which I'll have you both know she _excels_ at."

My father was left without anything to say, and I smiled. No one had ever stood up for me like that to his face, and it felt good.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," I heard my mother say. I felt a thread of panic web through my blood.

"I'm sorry, what?" Esme pressed. My mother looked at me and then again at my father.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," she said louder. "Maybe we should just work on this at home. It doesn't feel right." My eyes flew to Edward's and I could tell we were mirroring each others expressions.

"And if I don't want to go?" I spoke up. Carlisle looked from me to my parents, nodding.

"Please keep in mind, Bella has made fantastic progress, and I recommend she finish out the semester before we address her leaving." I nodded quickly in agreement, knowing that even at the end of the semester I probably wouldn't want to go home. But my father stood, a contemptuous look on his face.

"With all due respect, Director," my father said, "we know what's best for our daughter. And if my wife says she doesn't want her here, then we're taking her home."

_No._ My thoughts were shouting the word, but I froze when I realized once again that the voice wasn't mine. _Don't go!_ I looked up then to meet Edward's terrified gaze.

_No!_

I looked back to my father and saw that he was smiling at me.

"Well Princess, better go pack your things. You're coming home." _NO!!_ My fingers grazed across the back of the wooden chair next to me, and I felt my grip tighten on the top. It was light enough to lift, I thought, but heavy enough to hurt.

_No_. I looked up and saw my mother wipe away tears in her eyes, and let my gaze drift to how his hand gripped her upper arm with more strength than necessary.

Everything in the room disappeared. It was almost like tunnel vision, seeing my mother try to step away from him and how his fingers pressed deeper into her arm. No one would notice the change in her expression; the wince in her eyes as she bit back the cry of pain. No one would see the bruise begin to form under her sweater, and by the time summer came and she could wear t-shirts, the bruises would appear somewhere else.

_He's hitting her_.

I choked back a sob as I thought of all the times I was cornered in the kitchen as Charlie hit me with a rolling pin. Of all the times I tried to lock my bedroom door so that he couldn't get through with his leather belt. Of all the times I thought about jumping out of the window in my bedroom just so that I could get away. And then I thought of Ryan. He died because of Charlie. Because of the fear he instilled in me.

And as my father smiled at me once more, turning his back, I found myself lifting the chair with a surge of adrenaline. I felt it fly through the air, and felt the ricochet of the wood as it flew across his back, splintering and causing wood to fly around the room. The moment replayed in my mind and I watched in satisfaction as he fell to the ground, cocky smile gone.

Shouts erupted and I lunged forward. But arms were restraining me before I could make it two steps. The grip on my left arm was noticeably tighter than the grip on the right, and I knew then that it was Edward holding my right arm.

"You sick son of a bitch!" I heard myself screaming at my father. My mom was leaning over him in horror at what I had done, and I saw Esme's eyes land on me with a spark of realization.

"You stay away from her!" I screamed. I strained against the hands holding me back, praying that one of them would slip just a little bit and I could get free.

"Bella! You need to calm down!" Carlisle shouted into my ear. I ignored him though.

"Just you wait Mom!" I kept yelling. "He's going to hit you as often as he did me, and then what are you going to do? He sure as hell can't send you away like he did me!" The room froze. I had just shared what I refused to say in all of my therapy sessions. I was not just the girl who didn't want to get out of bed one day, and decided not to listen to my parents. I was the abused loner who was psychologically battered when it came to the world in general.

"It's his fault Ryan died!" I screamed. My mother just stared at me, jaw slack. "Ryan was saving me from this _monster_ and he died!" Carlisle's fingers loosened just a bit, and I wondered if he was on my side… if he wanted Charlie as dead as I did. I felt the tears brim my eyes as I looked down at the monster who tried so hard to ruin me.

"If you lay another hand on her," I said evenly as I saw my father's eyes peek out from under the coffee table, "another _finger_, I will kill you." I could see his eyes widen, and I somehow knew he took my statement to heart. "I'll kill you!"

"Isolation," I heard Esme say, and I found myself being dragged towards the stairs. In the distance I heard a voice, a scared voice, say, "She's yours; you can keep her."

I was brought to a room with a small window at the top of the door, and all but pushed through the entry way by Carlisle. I felt Edward's gentle fingers leave my arm, and the tears that had rimmed my eyes were now spilling over.

"I'll be back with a change of clothes," Carlisle said. And then the door closed and locked from the outside.

Isolation was a room with a twin bed and a small separate bathroom. But instead of the bed, I curled up on the floor, sobbing in both relief and anger.

I didn't want to get off the floor for a long period of time; it seemed much easier to stay curled in a ball than stand to face reality. They had thrown me into that room, for how long, I wasn't sure. _Depends on the severity of the situation_, Esme had said once. Did purposely trying to injure another human fall high on their list of serious no-no's? Of course, I realized.

I thought of my mother, who was clearly the replacement punching bag for my father. I knew they wouldn't come back for me, or at least I hoped. But being in isolation meant I broke a lot of rules. Were they going to send me back? Were Carlisle and Esme going to send me back?

It scared me that I didn't hear anything for a while, and I doubted anyone wondered if I was okay. But when I heard the door unlock, I froze. Something was dropped on the floor next to me and I waited until they locked the door again to look from beneath my stray hair.

One of my bags was lying on the carpet, jammed full of what I immediately thought to be clothes. I lifted myself off of the floor, feeling the aches of my day protest in my arms and legs. Lifting the bag from the floor, I set it on the twin bed that looked identical to my dorm bed. Opening it, I unearthed a change of clothes, pajamas, and miscellaneous toiletries.

"Great," I muttered. I looked around and glanced at the small bathroom connected to my prison chamber. I decided then to not fight it all. I knew that the incident with my father was punishable, and if I had to choose between getting sent home or locked away for a couple of days… well this would be my choice.

I took a shower and changed into my spare clothes. I looked around the room, memorizing the furniture and spare lamp. I sat on the bed and closed my eyes. There was so much I didn't understand, and no answers to the questions I was asking myself.

First there were the voices I kept hearing. Downstairs it could easily be my subconscious telling me not to leave the campus, but the voice I heard was not my own. A mans voice it seemed. It was the same voice I heard last night when Edward and I were on the dock, I realized. What was it? _Who_ was it? And then my contacts were blurry again, what was that about? I had just seen the doctor, and he said I shouldn't need to be back for six _months_.

Then there was the issue with my parents. I remembered the way my father gripped my arm when we were in public, and he wanted me to _behave_. That was how I knew he was hitting her. He'd never touched her that way before, but now that I was gone, she was the new target.

I forced myself to stay calm emotionally, and not blame myself for the abuse he was now inflicting on her. It was her or me I guess. I wish it didn't have to be either.

My heart started pounding when my mind drifted to Edward. My priorities were not in order it seemed, and the questions I had regarding him were the most important. I pictured him in my mind, his grey eyes shining as he smiled. I could see his arm muscles through his shirt, and I pictured the way he climbed the rocks next to me. He had saved me that morning, risking himself to catch me as I fell.

I wrapped my arms around myself when I remembered the look on his face as he held onto me, pulling me to safety. If it hadn't been for him… I shook my head of the thought. I wouldn't think of it. But as my mind went back to how he stood with us in the living room and his eyes were wide when my father told me to pack, I remembered that was when I heard the voice. Then again, I realized as my eyes opened, every time I heard the voice I was with or around Edward. What did _that_ mean?

I forced myself to direct my mind elsewhere. Until I organized my thoughts and had proof otherwise, the voices were my own. I sighed and lay down on the bed. I didn't know what time it was, or when they would let me out. I guess this is really isolation.

As the hours passed, I wished there had been a window in the room. Lunch time had passed, I was sure, and my stomach was growling. Was starvation also a punishment?

Almost as if on cue, I heard the door lock turn. I sat up quickly and watched as Esme walked in. She sat a tray down on the small dresser and paused. I took that as a chance to talk.

"I'm not sorry for what I did," I said. Esme nodded and her lips were set in a thin line. I felt as if I had to explain things to her.

"I know you're angry," I added, "but my father is a horrible man. If I had let him take me home, things would be back to the way they always were." Esme raised her eyebrows and looked me dead in the eyes.

"You mean he would have gone back to abusing you?" I closed my mouth. I could feel my skin grow cold, and I knew I had said too much.

"Is this what you've been holding back?" Esme asked quietly. "Has your father been hitting you?" I didn't move, not sure how to approach the question. Esme had been fantastic to me over the past month, and there was part of me that wanted to trust her. Looking into her eyes, I nodded. Esme sighed.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked. Truthfully, I did, but I needed time. Time to organize my thoughts and more time to trust my own mind.

"Not yet," I said. Esme nodded again and looked down to the tray of food.

"Mr. Masen grabbed you some food from the cafeteria. Eat up. I will see you tomorrow." And with that she was gone. My eyes were glued to the tray sitting on the dresser, and the silver cover that hid the food. _Looks like room service_, I mused.

I stood and grabbed the tray, bringing it to the bed. Lifting the cover, I smiled when I saw lasagna and garlic bread. I was sure that students in the Isolation room didn't normally get meals like this, but I knew that Edward had something to do with it. I lifted a piece of bread, suddenly famished, and gasped when I saw a folded paper beneath the crust. I set the bread down and unfolded the note.

_B—_

_I'm sorry you're locked away, but I will come to you tonight after everyone has gone to bed._

_--E_

My heart was pounding as I read the note again. Edward was coming _here_? I knew the said 'tonight', but I had no clock and no window to know if the sun had even set.

"So not fair," I said to myself. I rushed to eat my plate of food, devouring all but a few crumbs of bread. I brushed my teeth twice, vigorously trying to remove all residue and odor of tomatoes and cheese. After I'd changed into my night clothes, I was suddenly glad that whoever had picked up my clothes for the night had chosen my less grungy pair of plaid pants and long sleeved shirts. I quickly removed my contacts, throwing them away. I made a mental note to put in a fresh pair tomorrow.

Turning off the small lamp, I climbed beneath the covers. The blanket was thick and warm, and I felt instantly sleepy as I let the warmth surround me like a cocoon.

I hadn't realized I was that tired, but the emotional beating I had taken made me pass out within minutes. I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep for, but I awoke with a start when I heard the door click shut.

"Bella?" I heard Edward whisper. The entire room was encased in darkness, and I tried not to move as my eyes strained to adjust.

"Edward?" I whispered back. I was nervous about being alone with him, though I wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the fact that I couldn't see _anything_. I heard him shuffle around, and listened as something fell to the floor.

"Just my jacket and shoes," he whispered. I let out a small laugh, grateful for his narration. Suddenly the rustling stopped, and I sat up.

"Where are you?" I asked into the darkness. I felt the bed shift and Edward's hand brush against my cheek. I closed my eyes and sighed, pressing my hand to his so he wasn't able to let go.

"Are you going to get into trouble for being here?" I asked. Edward pulled his hand away and I could feel him pull himself into a sitting position on the foot of the bed. I pulled my legs up against my body, giving him room in the small area.

"Yes, but we won't get caught as long as we stay moderately quiet, so don't worry about that." I smiled in the darkness, and I squinted to try and make out his silhouette. But with no light to work with, I was left staring into nothing.

"Thank you for coming," I whispered.

"Of course," he said, "I'm sorry you even have to be here." I shook my head even though he couldn't see.

"Don't you worry about that. It's worth it just being able to stay." It was true, I realized. Edward's hand touched mine, and I held onto it desperately.

"Talk to me," he said. "Tell me what happened." My grip tightened on his hand and I thought about what to say. Do I tell him the truth? Or sensor it all? If only I could see through this darkness and watch his facial reactions.

Although, I realized, maybe not seeing the look on his face could work in my advantage. I'd be free to tell my story without feeling self conscious.

"Bella?" I took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to leave," I started to say, "and I couldn't let them take me away."

"But the anger you exuded was much more than disobedience," Edward interrupted, "and it was a lot more than you just deciding to go against what your parents wanted." I laughed. He chose now to be over observant?

"You're right," I whispered. "I don't know what I would have done to stay had it be any other situation. But when my father gripped my mother's arm like that, when I saw his fingers dig into her with so much force, I knew." I paused, taking a deep breath.

"What did you know?" Edward prompted. It was now or never. I had begun to trust him, and if I couldn't let him in, then I would I ever be able to?

"I knew he was hitting her," I said quietly," because he would hold my arm the exact same way when he would hit me." I heard Edward gasp, and I felt his hand tighten on mine.

"Bella…" But I wouldn't let him continue. The gates had been opened, and nothing would stop my words from flowing.

"When I was eleven, my father was promoted to Chief of Police. His job then became very stressful, he said, so he was a lot angrier and strung out than he normally was. He would remedy his sorrow by having too many beers at the end of the day." I kept my eyes closed, and I pictured how my father used to be; caring and thoughtful, loving both my mother and me unconditionally.

"Eventually he would start the drinking earlier in the day, to the point of having a beer with his morning paper. He was able to hire another deputy to help with the work load the station already had, and my mother and I thought it would all end. We thought his mood swings and constant anger would subside and he would go back to being the father who took me to soccer practice." Beneath my eye lids, I felt tears form.

"But he stayed the same. And one day when I came home from school, he was there. He had come home early because the station had flooded, so he was there to just do paperwork." In my mind I remembered walking in the door and seeing my father in the kitchen, opening a bottle of beer from the refrigerator.

"He began yelling at me, and instead of hitting the countertop or the wall like he normally did, he hit me on the face." I winced into the darkness and heard Edward let out a soft growl.

"When my mother came home, I already had a bruise. Instead of doing something about it, she just covered it up with makeup, telling me it was an accident. I believed her." I cleared my throat and continued.

"A few months after that, it happened again, and when the bruise showed, I snuck into my mother's bag and used her makeup without telling her. I didn't want her to find out because I thought I would get into trouble. I never thought of it as my father's problem, but more of my fault."

"It was never your fault!" Edward's whisper was full of anger, and I patted his hand.

"I know that now," I said, "but when you're that young and your father, the man who is supposed to love you unconditionally, the man who protects an entire _town,_ starts to hit you… you wonder. It only happened every few months at first. But when I hit tenth grade, it became a daily worry. How many beers did he have today? How soon was too soon to come home just in case he was already there? How much makeup will it take this time?" I took a deep breath and wished suddenly that I could see Edward's face. Was he going to run away after I was done? Would he still like me? Or was this going to be the deal breaker that sent him packing?

"At the end of this past summer, my boyfriend caught me in a panic to get home in time, caught me with a bruise. He became so angry that he took me away. I'm not sure where he planned to take me, or what we were going to do, but I packed a bag and never planned on stepping foot in that house again." I took a deep breath, pausing.

"What happened?" Edward pressed.

"We never made it anywhere. We swerved to miss a deer and the car crashed. Ryan died. The airbag deployed and somehow broke his sternum. I ended up in the hospital with a few broken bones and head trauma." The tears spilled onto my cheeks, and Edward's fingers brushed them away. How on earth did he see them?

"I'm so sorry Bella."

"I fully woke up a few days after the accident, not understanding what happened. I remembered vaguely freaking out when I found out Ryan died, but I wasn't sure what was going on. My father didn't say sorry or anything, he just yelled at me in that hospital room. He told me it was my fault that Ryan died. I was irresponsible and had dragged him out and caused that crash.

"That was the beginning of my depression, if you want to call it that. When I was finally released from the hospital, I never left the house. Hell, I barely left my bedroom. I couldn't eat, I couldn't talk. I just lay in bed, crying. My mother was the only one who would come to my room. She would try to feed me and talk to me, but all I could think about was how I killed Ryan."

"Bella," Edward's voice was closer, and I could sense that his face was mere inches from mine. "You didn't kill him. In no way was that your fault." I knew his words were the truth, but I couldn't change how I had once felt.

"I know," I whispered, "but I remained trapped in my own mind, thinking that for so long. It was hard to think otherwise." I sat in silence, thinking back to how I would lay in my room at home and stare at the same place on my wall for hours, wishing for it all to end. Didn't I get what I asked for? Wasn't this a new beginning?

"I remained in that state for so long, not going to school and not leaving my room, that my school had no choice to expel me. And now I'm here." Edward shuffled himself on the bed, and I could feel him move closer. Without warning, I felt his arms wrap around me and embrace me in a hug.

"I'm glad you're here, even though it's not under the best circumstances," Edward whispered into my ear. A shiver flew down my spine, making me shudder involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" he asked. I could feel him pull back, and I tried to grasp onto his shirt and stop him.

"No, not cold," I mumbled. I felt the bed shift again and retract from the missing weight. I could sense him standing over the bed, and I tried to search for him in the dark.

"Lay down," he ordered. I felt a panic go through me.

"Please don't leave me," I said. I could hear the fear and abandonment in my voice, and I felt foolish as I wondered if he could too.

"I'm not going anywhere." His voice was surrounding me from every direction, and I felt warm. I forced myself to lie down on the bed, pushing my back against the cold wall. The bed shifted again and I felt the covers pull back. Edward folded himself next to me and slid his head down to my level, covering me with the blanket. Under the thickness of the bedspread, Edward's arms surrounded my waist and pulled me to his body. I could feel my breath hitch in my throat as his foot slid between my calves to make room for his own leg. Intertwining his limbs with mine, our two bodies felt like one, and I buried my face into his shirt.

At that moment I wished I could see the look on his face, just to see his expression. Instead I was met with the black ink of the room.

"Edward?" I whispered into his shoulder.

"Yes?" he responded, his lips brushing against my ear.

"Are they going to send me home?" It was the one question I had been wondering, and I knew that Edward would tell me the truth. I felt his grip tighten immediately, and one of his hands ran fingers through my hair.

"No, Bella, you are _not_ going back there. Not if you don't want to." His voice was rough with emotion and I was grateful that he had come to see me.

"Thank you," I whispered tearfully. Edward kissed my earlobe and leaned in to whisper to me.

"I will never let anyone hurt you, do you hear me Bella? _Never_." His voice penetrated my heart and I suddenly felt that I couldn't be close enough to him. I reached up and touched his face with the tips of my fingers, letting them brush over the stubble on his chin and then his bottom lip. I heard his intake of breath and paused only a moment before I leaned in.

My lips only had to graze his to get the reaction I was hoping for. I felt his hands leave my face and gently sink into my hair, bringing my face to cradle between his hands. I heard his breath in front of my face, and I silently cursed him for holding me back.

'_I love you!'_ my mind shouted. But as Edward's lips came crashing down onto mine, I wasn't phased in the slightest that the voice was again not my own.

His lips were velvet, pulling only slightly at my bottom lip. I could feel his tongue slide against mine, and I whimpered helplessly. I had never been this close to someone, this _connected_.

"Do you want me to stop?" Edward whispered against my mouth. I shook my head in the dark, hoping he would hear the silent 'no's' that I was screaming. He caught the message though and brought his mouth to graze my ear. I should have felt embarrassed about how loud I was breathing, but I was only matching Edward's rhythm, breath for breath. Slowly I felt his kisses travel along my jaw and stop at my throat. My leg hitched around his hip, thinking on its own accord. I didn't think it was possible to move closer to him, but I was proven wrong when I felt Edward's arms push into my back and our hips met.

I concentrated on the beating of my heart, trying to control it, but felt a shiver when I could hear its echo. No, not an echo, I realized. I could hear _two_ heartbeats. Edward's heartbeat was in sync with mine. _Impossible_, I thought. But that didn't stop my lips from searching for his. They met mine eagerly, and I felt the velvet touch of his tongue against mine.

"If we don't stop, we're going to get in a lot of trouble," he whispered. Edward's voice had become husky, inviting and seductive. I nodded, not trusting my voice. Gradually, the kisses slowed, and I sighed happily as he touched my lips once more. He didn't move though, and kept his arms around me in the dark.

"Do you have to go?" I asked quietly.

"Not if you don't want me to," Edward said. I felt his arms tighten again, and I smiled. It was moments later that the mixture of Edward's rubbing my back and my sleepiness pushed me into a deep slumber.

* * *

**WELL? Yeah I did it. I made Edward all sexy in the dark.**

**Stay tuned (what is this TV?) because I will be updating ASAP. I hope you all enjoy... remember to review. It makes me happy :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow... I am on a f***ing roll! I'm so excited about this chapter, because it will leave everyone guessing, and it's just freaking awesome. Read on people, read on!! Also, I want to say thank you to everyone for reading this story and reviewing. It means so much, especially when I was worried people wouldn't accept the change in characters. You know, Charlie being the 'bad guy' and all. I really appreciate the support.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own half a poptart. Yeah, my daughter ate the other half, so I kind of feel like the left over eater. Oh well... it's strawberry.**

* * *

There was a loud knock on the door the next morning, and I reached my hand out onto the sheets. When my skin touched cotton, my eyes flew open in panic. Edward was nowhere in the room.

"Wake up, Bella," I heard a voice call through the wall, "Esme will be back in thirty minutes to take you back to your room." The Director. I closed my eyes again, asking myself why they would take me out of Isolation so soon. Good behavior? Hardly.

I pulled myself up and rubbed my eyes. Everything looked weird, as it normally did before I put my contacts in, so I dragged myself into the shower before I dressed. I didn't let my mind wander too much as I brushed my hair, and only when I looked in the mirror and saw my blood shot eyes did I think of my traumatic day. _So_ many things that could have broken me, but Edward had put me back together.

Pulling my hair into a loose hair band, I opened a new packet of contacts, having thrown the old pair in the trash. But when I pressed the orbs into my eyes, I blinked rapidly in confusion. With the contacts in, my eyes were worse. I sighed and reached to take the contact back out. Cleaning it with solution, I shoved it back in, only to huff in frustration.

"Looks like another trip to the doctor," I muttered. I threw the new contact lenses away and moved to put my shoes on. This would be the second time changing my prescription, and I was baffled at what had happened in the time since my last appointment. It was a mystery as to what happened the first time, and Dr. Dresely had said he'd never seen that happen before. What would he say the second time?

Shoving my foot into the boot, I felt a blockage. _Nothing is going my way today!_ I reached inside my shoe, expecting to find the insole folded up, but instead unearthed a piece of paper. I let the shoe fall to the floor and unfolded the paper, smiling when I recognized the handwriting.

_B-_

_I had to leave early so not to be seen. Yes, the note in the shoe is an odd thing, but I knew you'd be the only one to find it._

_I want you to know that you will never have to do anything you don't want to do, including going home to those people. I will be by your side every step of the way._

'_Unable are the Loved to die._

_For love is immortality. _

_Nay, it is Deity.'_

_--E_

My fingers brushed along the poem at the bottom of the letter, and I felt sudden hope. He said the same poem to me by the lake, and I felt happiness in my heart. When I left this room and walked back onto the school's property, Edward would be by my side. Love? Is that what this was? Our moments together were something special, and when we were alone the current of electricity was intense. Even simple words on paper caused me to dream.

I tucked the note into my jeans and shoved my foot into my shoe. I was prepared to face Carlisle and prepared to sit down to talk with Esme. It was time they knew why I was actually here.

* * *

The meeting I had with Esme was emotional and I knew that she and I would share a bond from here on out. When I had finished telling her what I told Edward, she told me something she had told few. When she was younger, her mother had abused her in the same way my father had me.

Did that mean my traumatic events weren't important? Of course not, Esme said, it just meant I wasn't alone. I decided to share with Esme that my eyes had changed again, and my contacts were blurry. At first she decided to talk with Carlisle, and after he had come to me and discussed my reoccurring symptoms, he summoned Justin to take me back into town to see Dr. Dresely.

I hadn't had the chance to see anyone before I left; I hadn't seen my roommates or Edward, and I wondered what they were doing. As I sat on the bench seat of the van, watching the town speed by, I wondered if they were thinking of me too. My poor friends were left in the dark, going on what others had told them. What concerned me more though was that I hadn't had the chance to see Edward.

What was going to happen between us? Were we going to have a relationship? It wouldn't be open, I knew this. Edward's status at the school would be ruined if something like that had been revealed. But he hadn't said if we would be continuing with our random rendezvous or if it was going to end with last night.

I prayed it wasn't going to end. I felt more guilt, and felt like I was betraying Ryan's memory by jumping into this. But the feelings that flowed through me made me feel alive, more whole than I had ever been. The way Edward held me the previous night made me feel like I was the one for him, and that he loved me. Love was a strong word, a premature word, but was floating through my head regardless.

"Come on Bella, the doctor is waiting," Justin's voice floated into my head. I had to shake myself conscious as I realized that we had arrived in front of the building, and the neon glasses stared at me, mocking. I walked into the receptionist area, greeted by the same blonde haired girl that I had seen before. Her smile was eerie, almost painted on as she led us to the same exam room I had been in. Without realizing it, I was staring at the same picture of the man with an eye infection when Dr. Dresely came through the door.

"Bella, you're back." He sounded confused, and I didn't blame him.

"Yeah, sorry to drop in so unannounced," I stammered, "but yesterday my contacts became blurry. And this morning when I changed the pair, they were so blurry I couldn't see." Dr. Dresely looked from my chart to me, and I saw the look of skepticism on his face. I sighed, knowing this was going to be the reaction. I was the emotional child sent to school for reasons unknown to him, escorted by burly men in a large white van. I may as well have a straight jacket.

"I know it sounds odd, but I just want you to check everything to make sure I'm not going crazy." Dr. Dresely didn't say a word, only nodded and smiled. His brown mustache twitched as he turned off the lights and moved the instrument to my face. Justin sat in the corner and watched as Dr. Dresely went through his routine of 'better or worse'. After a few minutes of measurements and calculations, the lights were back on and I was watching the doctor mull over the paper in front of him.

"Bella, has anything else been happening in your life that seems odd?" he asked. I felt my eyebrow go up in confusion, and I wondered what he was implying.

"What do you mean?" I asked. His fingers were tapping on the counter, a look of puzzlement on his face.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, "but I've never seen anything like this in my career." Now I was worried. Dr. Dresely seemed to be almost at a loss of words.

"Your vision has changed again, but not for the worse. From what I can tell, there is almost no need for correction." My mouth was agape, and I let my gaze drift to Justin who was sitting in the ugly blue plastic chair in the corner. He looked over the magazine pages to me, and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Dr. D.," I stumbled over my words, "but I don't understand. Before I came to this school, my prescription hadn't changed in years. Now it's almost _nothing_ in the span of a little over a month? I just don't understand any of this." Dr. Dresely's pen tapped in rhythm with the clock on the wall, and the tapping echoed in the silence.

"I don't know what to tell you, Bella. All I can do now is offer you a new prescription, although I don't see the need for it. As I said, it's close to perfect. Or I can send you back to school with a pair of glasses for times where you might need them."

I sat in the examination chair for a few moments, contemplating my choices. I still didn't fully grasp what was happening, but in the end I argued the necessity of going home with just a new prescription change. Having the contacts in my eyes helped me deny that anything was happening. With one contact in and one contact out, I looked around. It was odd… there didn't seem to be a difference.

Gripping two boxes of contacts in my hands, I followed Justin back to the van, looking behind me once to see Dr. Dresely standing near the front counter. He was staring at me with a strange look on his face, and I vowed to myself that no matter what happened next with my eyes I wouldn't be coming back to his office. The last thing I needed was him calling some medical journal about my miracle eyes.

"Everything okay?" Justin asked me when we were almost back to school. He had let me sit in the front seat this time, and I enjoyed the view of the town through the windshield, and not through the small square window in the backseat.

"Yeah, I'm just a special person I guess," I joked. Justin smiled and nodded. I could tell he didn't ask many questions at his work; it was more of a smile and nod kind of job. And at the moment I appreciated it.

When the van pulled up to the Director's house, I smiled when I saw Edward standing there waiting for me.

"Hey Justin, thank you for bringing our prized student back in one piece," Edward said. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, feeling at a loss of words.

"No problem Masen," Justin walked by him and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You bringing her to class? It'll save me the trip."

"Sure thing," Edward muttered as Justin walked away, leaving only the two of us standing in the grass. Edward's eyes were glued to my face, and I couldn't help but feel giddy as he stepped forward and let his finger brush along my cheek.

"Welcome back," he whispered. I cleared my throat quietly and looked around, wondering if we were alone.

"Everyone was called into an emergency assembly," Edward said. I blinked and felt my face screw into a look of disbelief.

"Why is it that sometimes I swear you're reading my thoughts?" I said. Edward laughed and stepped forward, pulling me into a hug. I let his warmth surround me, sighing into his chest. I felt protected and cared for, such a new feeling.

"So what's the assembly for?" I asked quietly into the soft fabric of Edward's shirt. I felt his arms tighten once and then he pulled back, pulling slightly on my arm to send me into motion. We started walking around the hill towards the Rec Hall.

"There's a snow storm coming, supposed to last two to three days, and Carlisle seems worried about it," he answered. Looking up, I saw grey clouds in the distance, wondering if that was the impending storm.

"You guys get snow all the time, what's the difference?" I asked. Edward shrugged.

"Apparently they're expecting over forty inches of snow, more than we've seen in a long time. A lot of students here are from further south, and snow isn't an issue there. Call the meeting an informational gathering, if you will." I nodded and walked closely beside Edward as we rounded the hill. The school was close to deserted, a few stragglers running through the doors of the Rec Hall.

"So we're going to be stuck indoors for two or three days?" I asked in wonder.

"Yes, although I'm not sure everyone will seem as excited as you," Edward laughed. I smiled and eyed the boxes of contacts I was still holding. I quickly shoved them in my pocket and stared down at my empty hand. I had contemplated telling Edward about my sudden prescription changes on the way back to school, and now seemed a good time to talk. We were alone, and if he thought I was crazy then no one would witness our discussion.

"Hey, if we're a few minutes late to the assembly, will anyone notice?" I asked, making the silent decision to talk to him now about my worries. Edward suddenly directed me aside, and I felt my breath catch in my throat as he pulled me behind a tree. My back was pressed against the bark before I even registered what was happening, and I looked wildly to Edward. My head was spinning when I saw he was inches from my face, grey eyes shinning.

"I missed you Bella," he whispered. I felt my mouth turn into a smile, and I lifted my fingers to brush along his cheekbone.

"I missed you more," I said. Edward's lips brushed slightly against mine, almost asking permission to proceed. I directed my fingers into his short hair, gripping onto what I could and pushing his face forward. Our mouths melted together, and I felt his warm lips contrast against the cold air. I had to hold back slightly, afraid that I would be too rough in my touch, but Edward suddenly pushed me back into the tree, pressing his body against mine.

My head was spinning, air becoming scarce. Edward pulled his face back slightly, letting the tip of his tongue run along my bottom lip.

"This is so not what I had in mind," I breathed. Feather light kisses trailed along my jaw line, and I felt Edward's lips press into my earlobe.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked. His voice had dropped an octave, and the huskiness of his tone sent a shiver through me. We were in the rare moment of being alone, and I wanted to talk about my eyes? No, I thought, I didn't want to talk at all. When I felt his tongue swirl into a circle at the nape of my neck, I heard a moan escape my throat.

"We should get back," Edward whispered into my throat. His lips made a path towards my mouth, and slowly and deliberately his tongue traced the line where my lips met, gently coaxing them apart. I wanted badly to push him to the ground and ravish him, but with sudden awareness of our surroundings, my eyes popped open. Setting the palms of my hands onto his chest, I pushed slightly. Edward understood and set his hands on the tree above my head. He was still surrounding me, but I allowed him to set his forehead onto mine.

"I'm sorry," Edward whispered. I laughed and shook my head.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Edward," I said softly, forcing my heartbeat to calm down, "I only know we can't do this here. Carlisle and Esme know I'm back, and if they come looking for us and find us here, we're going to be in trouble." Edward nodded and pushed away from the tree. The sudden vacancy in the air around me left me cold, and I grasped the lapels of my jacket tighter around my waist.

"Let's get back inside," I whispered, pulling on the sleeve of Edward's jacket. We strode along in silence, heading directly for the Rec Hall. I didn't dare look at Edward as we walked, afraid he would see the desire burning in my eyes and pull me behind another tree. Before we walked into the Rec Hall, Edward reached out and squeezed my hand. I wanted to hold him closer, feel more of him than a touch of his hand before we went in; because I knew that the next time we would be together alone could be days or weeks away. And that made me miserable.

The doors opened, and over half of the school turned to stare at us as we entered the building. All of the students were sitting at the tables, faced towards the large fireplace. Carlisle was standing at a raised podium, Esme and most of the staff at his side. Carlisle paused in his speech and motioned for us to come in. Following Edward to a table, I sat to his right, facing Carlisle as he continued. Startling me, Edward's fingers immediately found this way to my left knee, tracing patterns in the denim. I pretended nothing was happening, and kept my eyes on the fireplace, not daring to look directly at Carlisle right that second.

"Tonight when the snow hits, I want everyone to be in their dorm buildings. I want _no one _outside." The stressed look on his face showed everyone how serious he was, and I glanced at Esme quickly to see that she was nodding in agreement.

"Each living quarters' kitchen has been filled with water and supplies, including food. Meals will be held there until the storm is done." I pictured twenty fiver girls fighting over a bag of Doritos, and I shook my head. I heard Edward laugh quietly behind me, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing as me.

"All classes will be canceled in the meantime," Carlisle continued, and with that a cheer arose in the crowd, "but I don't want your time to be wasted. Feel free to do therapy sessions within your quarters, and study miscellaneous classes." I rolled my eyes when I thought about his recommended therapy sessions, but when Edward's fingers squeezed my knee slightly I smiled.

"I think that's all for now, please head back to your rooms, and your counselors will be along to see how you are." Edward's hand left my leg quickly, and I felt the heat of a blush cover my skin.

"Bella! You're back!" Alice's voice sounded over the noise in the crowd, and I made out her red bandana approaching me. Edward leaned in quickly, and I let my eyes meet his.

"I'll see you later, love," he whispered. And he was gone. Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.

"Esme told us you were going to be gone for at least a day, but we couldn't figure out where you went," Rosalie's spoke quickly. My eyes flew to the sky, and my stomach plummeted when I saw that the grey clouds were now turning black in the distance.

"Alice told us what happened when your class went rock climbing, I'm so glad you're okay!" I smiled at her, and wanted to give her a hug.

"I'm fine, it was just a scare," I tried to console her, but she spoke over me before I could finish my sentence.

"Where did they end up taking you? Where have you been for the past day?" I took a deep breath, and censored my past twenty four hours.

"My parents came to visit me, and well, they tried to get me to leave. I didn't want to, so I hit my father over the back with a chair. I guess that is grounds for Isolation room." Alice jerked me to a stop, and I saw her eyes widen.

"You hit your _dad_ over the back with a _chair_?" I nodded and saw her admiration grow.

"I wish I had your guts," was all she said. She didn't ask why or if I was okay, and I thanked her for that. I didn't want to go into depth of what happened in the Director's house, or what happened in that Isolation room. Hell, I didn't want anyone to know about my vision problems; the last thing I needed was more attention directed towards me.

Alice led me directly towards our building, and I wondered momentarily where all the other girls were. But my thought was pushed away when I saw the mass of people collecting on the first floor. Everyone that inhabited those rooms was sitting together in the living room. I had never seen them all gather together like that, and I had to keep my eyes from opening wider than they already were.

I stretched my toes so my eyes could see over the crowd; I saw that the small kitchenette area was filled with cases of water, dried food, and several generators.

"How bad do they think this storm is going to be?" I asked, more to myself. But Alice leaned close and answered my question.

"You missed part of the meeting, I guess. Carlisle said that Silvery Bay hasn't had a storm like this in ten years, so they're scared of how the school will hold up. After all, it's only like eight years old." I took the pieces of information and nodded. I didn't know the school was that new, but now that I knew Carlisle was scared, I was slightly more worried.

"Chill," Alice said, pulling on my arm, "lets go upstairs." I followed her up the stairwell, bypassing the remaining girls who were running down the stairs. From what I could see, most everyone was taking advantage of the class free days, and had already changed into their night clothes.

Propelled by Alice, we entered our room to see our roommates changing into their sweat pants and sweaters.

"Bella!" Everyone shouted when they saw me. I waved and headed to my bed, hoping there weren't going to be too many questions. But I could only hope that the others would be as accepting as Alice, and I was bombarded by inquiries.

"Where have you been?"

"Are you okay?"

"Did you get in trouble or something?"

I smiled, thinking of all the events that had happened, including Edward. But I looked them all straight in the face and told them the same thing I told Alice.

"My parents came to visit, and my father threatened to take me home. I didn't want to, so I hit him over the back with a chair." The reactions were different within the four walls of this room, and I winced, hoping no one outside could hear them all.

"You could have gotten kicked out of school!" Madie said. I nodded, but shrugged.

"Yeah, they just put me in Isolation for the night."

"What is Isolation like?" Dee asked. My eyes trained on hers, and I was surprised to hear the question. She was the last one I'd pegged to wonder what that room was like.

"Well, it's uh…" I stammered, "really very lonely." Everyone laughed, and I described in detail how the room was, down to its twin bed to its ugly blue towels.

"Well, you're hardcore after all I guess," Rosalie laughed. I shrugged and started to go through my clothes. I knew the night would drag before me, and I wished that I had something to do besides sit around and talk to the girls downstairs. Looking up I saw that the others were heading downstairs, and I wished they would change their minds and stay here.

"We're going to head down and join the group by the fireplace, want to join?" Alice asked. I thought for a moment and realized I knew the answer.

"No, I'm going to stay up here for a while, but I'll see you all soon." And with that, I was alone. I fingered the flannel sweats I had, and wondered if the heat in the house would hold through the storm. How thick would I have to dress just to stay warm? It was my first serious snow storm, and I was nervous. Would we all be barricaded indoors? Would the food and water last until we were able to leave?

I shook my head, knowing I didn't have to worry about things like that. I was in a school, surrounded by dozens of adults who were paid to worry about these events, and who were put in charge of us so that we were safe.

My mind traveled directly to Edward, and I wondered when I would see him next. From the events that happened the night prior in the Isolation room, I was positive that we were _together_. The way he pressed me against that tree… the touches he gave me were the touches shared between lovers. My face heated again as I thought of the way his lips pressed to mine, and the way my leg wrapped around his hip in the Isolation room. If we were anywhere else besides this campus, what would have happened?

I looked out the window by my bed and saw small snow flurries begin to fall. Walking to the pane of glass, I eyed the campus with doubt. The school had never experienced a snow storm like this before; would we make it? I watched in the distance as a few of the boys' counselors collected equipment from the rope course, locking it in the shed. The kayaks were no longer floating in the water, but tied to the rack by the lake. The trapeze bar that usually hung in the air by the pole was no where to be seen. In the shed with the rest of the equipment? I wasn't sure.

From the living quarters below, I watched as the teachers lowered the shutters onto the windows. Were they going to do the same to our dorms? Was it more for safety or so that we couldn't watch the storm outside? Both scared me, and I suddenly wished I wasn't alone in the room; a panic attack was starting to form.

But below my window I watched as Edward walked through the snow, hood pulled up over his head. I marveled in how I could see his form even through his winter coat, and wished he would throw aside the thick fabric and join me in the warmth of this room. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and he turned suddenly as if someone were calling his name. My assumption was correct, and I saw Carlisle approach him. Exchanging few words, I watched Edward's facial expression turn to anger. My heartbeat picked up within my chest, and I pressed my face against the window.

Carlisle grabbed Edward's shoulder, and I watched as Edward's head shook side to side furiously. He then pushed away from the Director, clearly irritated with what he was saying. Edward looked around then and strode forward quickly so that he was in the other mans face. Again, few words were said, and then Edward did something that surprised me and caused me to gasp. He shoved the Director, and walked away.

I clung to the flannel pants that I had not yet positively decided on, and brought them closer to my face. What had just happened? I stepped back, somehow afraid that I would be seem spying on the two. But looking around, I was sure I was still alone and undiscovered.

Edward had never shown Carlisle any type of anger, at least not in public. Didn't Edward tell me that he felt that Carlisle saved his life? Is that how he treated his saviors? I shook my head, stepping back to the window and looking out over the campus. There in the distance, I watched Edward's hooded figure stalk to the teacher's living quarters. I saw that he entered the one closest to the lake, and made a mental note of the building. For future reference, I told myself.

Changing into the flannel pants that had been wrung in my grip, I grabbed a sweater and crawled beneath the covers on my bed. My mental wheels were turning, and I watched the snow flakes flutter to the ground, and the noise from downstairs grow louder, I made a decision. When everyone in campus was in bed and the snow was thicker on the ground, I would be paying Edward a visit. A visit I needed both physically and emotionally. Until then, I would sleep.

* * *

I remember waking slightly when the girls came in from the party downstairs. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost one in the morning, but I forced my eyes closed again. But as the time grew closer to two, I found my eyes opening wide in a burst of adrenaline. Sliding from my bed, I crept to the window, realizing they didn't lower the shutters and block the view. My eyes were wide as I took in the surrounding land, shocked to see that the green grass was gone, and a white blanket covered every inch of ground that had been bare that morning. Sheets of snow were still falling, and I squinted to see anything through the night.

Sliding on the boots that lay next to my bed, I grabbed my thickest jacket and slid my arms into the down sleeves. Walking lightly to the door, I turned and let my eyes wash over each of my roommates, making sure they were all asleep. When I was satisfied, I opened the door and slipped into the hall. There were no lights on, and I felt my way to the staircase, running my fingertips along the stone walls. Each step creaked beneath my feet, and I stopped midway to the bottom level in frustration. If I didn't know any better, they purposely made them squeak for occasions like this. But I made it to the front hall undetected and looked around to make sure I didn't have any witnesses.

Opening the front door, I gasped. The blanket of snow that I had seen from my room should not been described as that, but as a thick quilt. The snow was close to the top step, making a two foot drop from the top of the snow to the ground. I looked down to my snow boots and sighed. The flannel pants I wore would not stay dry, but I kept my mind away form that for the time being. Closing the door behind me, I pulled my hood over my head and bent my face downwards.

I stepped slowly through the snow, feeling the cold seep through my pants. My favorite sound in the entire world was the sound of fresh snow crunch beneath my shoes. At this very moment though, the sound of snow crunching beneath my shoes could go to hell. I was slipping and sliding over the wet flakes, grasping onto anything I could grab onto.

I rounded the teacher's cabins carefully, making sure I stayed in the shadows. I wasn't sure what would happen if I were caught, and I knew the Isolation room was not going to be the destination of my punishment.

When I reached the rope course, I was blinking back the tears my eyes produced from the wind. It was stinging, harsh and bitter in the cold, and I wished I were back in my room under my covers. This was the worst night to plan a visit to Edward, I knew, but the lack of supervision from the staff was what I needed. And in this case, there shouldn't be anyone out and about to see me, especially this late at night.

Creeping towards the building I saw Edward enter, I approached the front door, opening it slightly and slipping in. The warmth swallowed me, and I leaned against the door, listening to the rush of wind from the other side. It called to me, telling me to turn back to my room, but my heart beat loudly in my chest, urging me forward. Opening my eyes, I groaned softly. It hadn't occurred to me that the teachers shared the living areas, and I forgot that there were at least four of them per cottage. I was standing in a short hall, five doors surrounding me. Looking around in the dark, I flipped a switch and smiled when a small light flickered alive above me.

A terrifying thought occurred to me—what if their rooms had been like mine? What if it was just one open building and they shared the space? My heart started thumping in my chest with horror. I would have walked right into the room, surrounded by teachers who would wonder what I was doing and why I was there.

"Fuck," I muttered. _Turn around Bella, just turn around and go back to your room._

Did I listen? No. I was too close. And my heart ached. I took a deep breath and forged on.

Starting with the door to the left of me, I eyed it carefully. What if I entered the wrong room? Expulsion for sure, that was the correct answer. I stepped away from the door that my back was pressed against, leaving the safety of the outside world behind me. The first door had a number one on it, and glancing around quickly I saw that each door was numbered. That is except for the one straight in front of the door leading to the outside. _Storage_, I thought. Each room had an animal face next to the numbers, and my eyebrows rose in confusion. Was this their weird way of identifying the rooms? Did each animal represent someone, by traits or by the person's choice? I sighed and approached the first room, careful not to make any noise.

Next to the brass '1' was the picture of a wolf, teeth showing. I eyed it suspiciously and continued to the next door. Beside the '2' was a bird, a hawk-like creature. Without moving from my spot, I looked around and saw a snake on room '3' and a bear on room '4'. How was Edward's room supposed to be easy to recognize? But a thought hit me, and I realized that students weren't allowed in these houses, so there was no reason for them to be identified.

I looked away from the bear and snake, somewhat certain that the creatures would not be used to represent Edward. But I eyed the wolf and hawk, letting my eyes waver back and forth. Finally I settled on the second room, and I cleared my throat silently. For some reason the eyes on the hawk were hypnotizing me, and I felt compelled to enter the room.

I reached out and ran my fingers along the door lightly, hoping that if Edward were on the other side, he would hear me and let me in. But after a minute no one answered, and I turned the doorknob slowly, praying I wouldn't find an angry teacher on the other side. The room was dark though, and I closed the door behind me, shutting off the only supply of light I had.

"Edward?" I whispered. I remained motionless, not daring to move. What if this wasn't his room and I walked in on the History teacher? But there was nothing, and I dared myself to move forward, careful not to make a sound.

Quickly, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I could make out the neatly made bed. I sighed with some sort of relief when I saw that it was empty. I looked closely to the items on the dresser, and saw a framed photo of Edward on top of a mountain surrounded by snow. I smiled, taking this as confirmation that this was indeed Edward's room.

I immediately let my eyes wander, realizing this would be my first glimpse into Edward's life. I knew close to nothing, all but what he had told me by the lake about being raised in a rough neighborhood. I understood slightly why he wouldn't want to share too much too soon, but my brain thirsted for knowledge. The room was fairly large, and a queen sized bed fit comfortably in the center. I long dresser stood to my right, mirror suspended above the dark wood. To my left was a tall dresser, stacked high with books. I squinted into the dark and saw a large bookshelf loom over the window. Eyeing it, I realized that even in the brightest day, the room would be dark as night. I walked to the bookshelf, glancing over the spines and admiring his selection in literature. The binding in most of the paperbacks had been worked thin. I ran my fingers over the worn paper. _So he reads a lot… an intellect. _I fingered the bed, enjoying the soft feel of his comforter, and wondered only briefly what it would feel like if I laid down within the sheets.

I walked to Edward's dresser, admiring the photos of him and the other teachers. These people were his family and friends, and the smiled they shared on film were the blatant truth of this. Edward was slowly becoming a real person in my mind and I wanted badly to learn everything about him in an instant. His family, his hometown, where he was born and raised, if he had any siblings. The fact that I knew nothing would normally frighten me, but how can he be such a bad person when I trusted him so much?

Looking into the mirror and past my reflection, I caught a flicker of light behind me. Turning with instant curiosity, I approached the necklace that was hung on the stone wall. Hanging as if suspended in mid-air, was a silver rope encrusted with jewels. Hanging onto the thick rope was a pendant, shaped like a hawk. Looking closely through the dark, I saw that the eyes of the hawk were small gemstones, looking silver. Diamonds? I let my fingers run over the silver rope, bringing my face closer. Now that I could examine it, I saw that the jewels within the rope were too, diamonds. My fingers twitched, and I felt the sudden need to put it on.

But my hand dropped, along with my heart, when I heard the outer door open and Edward's voice vibrate through the small hall.

"Carlisle, you have to back off," he was saying, a hint of anger in his voice. I felt my heart pump wildly in panic, and my eyes flew across the room, looking for cover. I gasped when my vision snapped in on my surroundings like a rubber band, creating a shimmer through the air and magnifying the room ten fold. My mind was spinning as I witnessed particles of dust float into the dark. I didn't have time to react for longer than a second, and I ran for the door that I hoped to be a closet.

I let the door click shut behind me just as the bedroom door opened. Edward stomped his boots onto the mat just inside the entry way, shaking off the excess snow, with Carlisle close behind. I kneeled down to the floor, concentrating on my breathing, blinking furiously as my vision continued to shimmer before me. The light turned on in the room and I squinted as the glow poured through the cracks in the door. I was in the depths of clothes, choking on my fear. And as suddenly as it happened, it was over. The rubber band snapped back, causing me to physically fall back onto a box.

"What was that?" Carlisle asked. I held my breath, praying they wouldn't investigate. What would happen if Carlisle or Edward walked the five feet to my hiding place and unearthed me? What would the Director think? Would Edward get fired?

"There's a storm outside, are you really going to question a small noise?" Edward's sarcastic response saved me, and I let the air expel from my lungs in relief. Now that I was able to see clearly through the cracks in the door, I had my face pressed almost fully onto the wood. Carlisle was watching Edward as he took off his jacket, letting stray flakes of snow fall onto the carpet.

"Do you understand the gravity of the situation, Edward?" Carlisle kept talking. "Alexander feels a disturbance, and it only intensifies as each day passes. We have to make sure the transformation is complete before anyone catches wind of a female!" Edward approached the hanging pendant that shone in the light of the room, letting his thumb brush over the eyes of the bird. I watched the look on his face, one of wonder and of confusion, and I wanted to know what he was thinking.

"Edward…" But Edward didn't let Carlisle finish. He turned abruptly and his grey eyes were as dark as the clouds outside.

"Carlisle, I will make sure the transformation comes along without any problems," he whispered. "Tell Alexander to keep watch and make sure Bella goes unnoticed. I will take care of things on my end."

My throat was seized shut, and I could hardly breathe as I watched Edward turn away from Carlisle and sit on his bed, removing his boots and throwing them on the floor. Carlisle leaned against the wall next to the mirror.

"When was the last time you gave her a dose?" Carlisle pressed. Edward glared at him but seemed to be thinking. It was like he wanted to yell at the Director, but he bit his lip, biting back words that seemed to be ready to flow free.

"Last night in the food that was brought to her. She just came back so I haven't been around her." My eyes grew wide at the words. Dose? Dose of what exactly?

"Edward, you have to pay attention and make sure that everything is running smoothly!" Edward shot to his feet, looming over the other man.

"I'm doing everything I can!" Edward screamed, making me jump. "How do you expect me to monitor her all the time when you're constantly telling me to stay away from her and keep my distance?" Carlisle shook his head slowly and set his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"You need to calm yourself. Bella has a far journey to go through, and she needs someone to see her through it all!" Edward shook his head and looked towards the far wall.

"She's seen the eye doctor twice within one week. Her transformation is coming along well in my opinion." My _what_? My brain was reeling, stomach clenching in disgust. Did they have something to do with my vision changing so erratically? Did they poison me? I could feel my breathing speed, and I clamped one hand over my mouth and the other wrapped around the long strands of the carpet.

"I trust that you will do well, but I want you to know that I am watching closely," Carlisle continued to speak. My eyes flew up and I wanted to burst through the doors and ask more questions than they would answer. But I remained still as Carlisle patted Edward's shoulder and headed for the door.

"I want you to stay indoors tonight. Jasper and Robert have the perimeter sweep tonight to make sure everything is well. Tomorrow I want you to visit Bella and give her another dose." And he was gone. Edward stood alone, hand running through his short hair. He looked angry, his usual calm face that I adored so much now scrunched in frustration. But that was nothing compared to how I must have looked. Tears were falling down my cheeks, splashing onto my flannel pants. In the depths of the closet, my jacket was starting to suffocate me, and I wanted badly to shed the heat source. My mind was screaming, telling me to run for help, to tell someone that the Director and the teaching staff were poisoning students. No, they were poisoning _me._ But why were they doing it? What would they benefit from me digesting poisonous things?

My mind shot suddenly to the cupcake that Edward had given me the night by the lake, and then the muffin he gave me the following morning. Was there something in them? And then there was the food I had gotten the previous night that Edward had prepared. All poisoned. I fought bag the urge to gag, telling myself that there had to be an explanation for it all.

Edward stood then, reaching down to grab his boots off of the floor. He brought them to the floor mat, shaking off any excess snow that remained, and then headed for the closet door. I didn't move, didn't even bother to hide myself from what was happening. And when the door opened, I didn't even move my eyes from his knee level. The boots dropped to the floor, hitting me lightly on the shin as they tumbled to the side. Then the door closed.

My eyes didn't waver as I watched Edward lie down on his bed. He must not have had his eyes on the closet when he threw his shoes in.

I had no concept of time as Edward lay on his bed, not moving. My mind was in overdrive. _Transformation… danger coming… female? _They said that there would be trouble if someone caught wind of a female… me? My eyesight was because of them. Dosage… dosages of what? I moved my hand over my mouth again, choking back a sob that dared to escape.

Then I heard snoring. My eyes darted to Edward's figure, and I didn't even react when my vision snapped again, zooming in on Edward's face. I could see him then, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling slowly. He was asleep. And just like that, the rubber band snapped and everything was back to normal. Normal… I shook my head in disgust. I reached out and grasped the doorknob, opening the door slowly. I stepped out into the room, my eyes never leaving Edward's face. For a fleeting second I wanted to slap him awake and see the horror in his eyes when I told him I heard everything. But I didn't. I snuck to the door, closing it behind me with a sigh when I was in the hallway.

The tears spilled into my eyes as I ran for the door leading to the snow storm. I preferred the threat of snow burying me than to be stuck in that room, that closet. I don't remember much of my running back to my building. I remember slipping and sliding, but I didn't run into anyone, and I wasn't discovered.

Stepping through the front door, I gasped. There was Alice, sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, wrapped in a blanket.

"Bella?" she whispered. I let the tears fall. The door closed behind me, and I didn't remember actually closing it.

"Alice, I need your help," I cried softly.

* * *

**Don't hate me for the little cliffhanger! I know you're probably like WTF. Bella is now asking more questions, and here comes Alice! Wonderful, sweet Alice. I love her and I want her to be a part of this story. So here comes that little pixie hurricane we have all become accustomed to (except _my_ Alice has tatts on her wrists haha).**

**Also, the poem Edward recited to Bella on the lake and the one he wrote in the note found in her shoe are one and the same. It is a poem written by Emily Dickinson, but here in the story Edward wrote it. Kinda. It actually has a point in the story I promise. **

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Cause it makes me happy:) ~~Ashley**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hola everyone! Here is the next chapter to Silver Bay, and I'll be very honest, I'm so excited about this chapter. I'm just keepin' it rolling, and you'll love it.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie(s). But I am the proud new owner of a subscription to POGO! Get this, I collect Coca Cola reward points, and I had over a thousand, so I cashed in a bunch of my points for a years' subscription to this game website. It's the shit, yo!! (I'm feelin frisky… I painted my nails hot pink with my Gir nail polish)**

* * *

**Previously…**

_Stepping through the front door, I gasped. There was Alice, sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, wrapped in a blanket._

"_Bella?" she whispered. I let the tears fall. The door closed behind me, and I didn't remember actually closing it._

"_Alice, I need your help," I cried softly. _

_

* * *

_

I could see black spots appear in front of me as I fell to my knees in front of Alice. She leapt forward, catching me before I face planted on the floor.

"Oh my God, Bella? Bella?" She was frantic, and I felt bad for causing her panic, but I couldn't think very clearly. Just thoughts of Edward, thoughts of me hidden in that damn closet.

"Okay, Bella, work with me," Alice urged me. She half dragged me to the couches in the living area, all but falling with me onto the overstuffed loveseat. Alice's small arms wrapped around me, pressing me into her chest as she held me. I tried to hold back the sobs that spilled over, but I was not succeeding.

"Talk to me," Alice demanded. I clenched my eyes shut as she ran her fingers through my hair, humming to me softly. Minutes crawled by before she took a deep breath.

"Okay, start off by telling me where the hell you went. I woke up and you were gone." I could just imagine her waking up and me being gone. Had I been in that situation I would have probably woken someone up. _Shit!_

"Oh my God, did you tell someone I was gone?" I panicked, shooting upwards and looking around the empty room. Alice rolled her eyes and rubbed her hand over my shoulder.

"Sweetie, no. I didn't tell anyone. Hence the reason the National Guard, i.e. Carlisle Cullen and his goonies, are not out looking for you this very second. I just figured you were with Edward." His name hit me like a stone wall and I could feel all of the blood drain from my face. Alice eyed me curiously, and it was pure realization that dawned in her eyes.

"Is that where you were?" I nodded. Her eyes narrowed. "Did he hurt you?" I didn't answer right away, and she shot to her feet.

"Did that mother fucker hurt you?" she hissed. I flinched back, seeing the dangerous side of Alice lash out. I saw right that second the person who had burned someone's house down, the person with the criminal record.

"No! No, or at least… I don't know Alice. I don't know." Alice sat back down and I put my face in my hands. Slowly, I started to talk.

"Alice, things have been happening to me lately. Things I didn't know how to explain. But tonight, when I went to Edward's room, I heard him and the Director talking about things that didn't make any sense."

"Wait," Alice interrupted. She held a hand out and shook her head once. "Explain, first, what you mean by weird things happening." I nodded and started to explain how my vision had changed so drastically.

"The doctor said he had never seen anything like that in his entire career," I explained. Alice was quiet for a second.

"Are you wearing contacts right this second?" she asked. I nodded.

"Take them out." _What?_

"What?" I was baffled. Alice motioned with her hands for me to hurry up.

"I said to take them out. The doctor said you basically didn't need any correction, right? Well, take them out." I rolled my eyes, but appeased her regardless of how absurd this seemed. I didn't bother washing my hands; I just reached in and plucked the contact lens off of my eyes. Alice flinched as she watched me, visibly shuddering as she watched me touch my eye.

"Okay, I so shouldn't have watched that. That freaks me out." I sighed and reached to take the second one out, holding them in my hands when I was done. I didn't know what to do with them, so I reached over and set the small pieces in the trash next to the couch. I looked over at Alice and my mouth dropped open.

"What?" Alice asked. I blinked a few times and even went to the extreme of rubbing my eyes as hard as I could. "What?"

"I… I can see you," I stuttered. Alice sighed, looking tired before the actual discussion began.

"So the contact lenses aren't actually fixing anything anymore?" she asked. I shook my head, blinking a few more times before I groaned in frustration.

"Alice, you have to believe me," I started, "before I came here, I couldn't see more than three feet in front of me without my contacts in. Now, what, a month later? I can see perfectly! The doctor said there was almost no need for correction."

"Okay, what is going on?" Alice asked carefully. I wiped away a stray tear, not sure where to continue.

"I don't know, but that's not all, Alice," I laughed darkly. "On top of my crazy miracle-vision, I've been having these episodes where my vision kind of snaps."

"Snaps?" Alice whispered. I nodded, glancing towards the fireplace.

"It's like all of a sudden everything zooms in, and I can see everything that's across the room, or even thirty feet away," I thought of the first Teamwork class when I stood on the pole, and I could see every freckle on Edward's face. He had smiled at me like he knew what was going on. Did he? "It's like I'm looking through a telescope. And then it just snaps back like a fucking rubber band. Tonight when it happened, I physically fell back when my vision went back to normal."

"Tonight?" Alice asked quickly. "What happened tonight?" I took a deep breath and told her exactly what happened in Edward's room. Word for word.

"Alice, they're poisoning me or something," I whispered. She rushed forward and threw her arm over my shoulders in a protective manner that I remembered my mother doing when I was younger. The mama bear protecting her cub.

"Okay, so it sounds like they're giving you something in your food," Alice muttered. She looked at me and questioned me like she was a cop asking a witness what her mugger looked like. "Bella, how many times have you eaten something that Edward or Carlisle has given you? And I mean directly?" Again, I thought of the muffin and the cupcake that Edward had given me. Of the dinner that was brought to me in Isolation. All tainted, I knew. But as I thought about it more and more, I remembered how many times Carlisle brought me rolls from the 'back' and how he'd even brought me extra soup at dinner before I could get up to get more. And even…

"Esme…" I gasped. Esme had given me bagels on more than one occasion, never asking any of the girls if they wanted anything. I always brushed it off as being the 'new girl' and getting special treatment.

"Esme?" Alice asked. I jumped to my feet and started to pace next to the coffee table.

"Alice, they're all in on it," I stammered, "all of them. Carlisle, Edward, and even Esme. Who _knows_ who else!" But Alice was right next to me, grabbing my arm and stopping me from burning a hole in the carpet.

"Wait a second, you might be getting ahead of yourself here," she laughed. But I turned on her, staring her down.

"How often have any of the staff members given you food? How often? When was the last time Carlisle brought you soup at dinner, or Esme brought you a fucking pastry in the morning? You've been here for so long, you tell me when Edward has ever paid attention to a student as much as me?" I had her there, because she didn't move. She didn't flinch, she just nodded.

"Okay," she said. "So what now?" I felt sick.

"I can't eat any more of their food. I can't run the risk of getting _poisoned_!" But Alice shook her head and pulled me back to the couch. Her eyes bore into mine and she spoke very calmly.

"I am on your side, please remember this while I continue, okay?" I nodded warily. She took a deep breath and continued. "How do we know you're actually being poisoned?" I opened my mouth immediately, ready to rebut at the drop of a hat, but she held her hand up.

"Bella, they said that you're undergoing a 'transformation' or something, right?" I snapped my mouth shut and nodded. "Well, before we think 'poison' we should find out what the hell you're transforming into." She was right, I knew she was. What did I expect to do, rush up to Edward and ask him what the hell was going on? I would not get an honest, straight forward answer that way. Instead, he would run, he would hide, and I would probably find myself shipped back to Forks in a matter of minutes.

"Okay," I sighed.

"Fantastic!" Alice cheered. I looked at her like her head was backwards. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Come on silly, haven't you ever read a good mystery novel? Darlin', we're living one!"

* * *

The mystery novel that Alice wanted to live oh-so much was giving me a headache. We went to bed that night whispering frantically to one another, careful not to wake any of the other girls. I was cagey as I slid beneath my covers, my eyes refusing to close. From my bed I could see out of the window, and I watched the sheets of snow fall. As if in a trance I slid out of my bed, not wanting the sleep to come. I knew dreams would occur once I slept, and I wanted nothing to do with them. The exhaustion seeped through me like a bad drug, but I pulled an arm chair up to the window and sat. The campus stretched before me as white and natural as I could ever imagine, offering me a sliver of false hope.

My head was throbbing, tension building up behind my _perfect fucking eyes._ Alice had slipped into a deep slumber, joining in on the snores that emanated from the others. They were a faulty symphony, mocking me of my sudden case of insomnia. I curled my feet under me, pulling my blanket closer. It wasn't as thick as the purple blanket I owned… but Edward had that one, didn't he?

A shiver ran down my spine, goose bumps prickling over my skin. The conversation I had overheard between Edward and Carlisle literally echoed in my mind. Nothing made sense, but Alice and I had agreed that it was essential to act like nothing had changed with me. It would be hard, continuing to eat the food around me as if nothing was wrong, but there was no way to refuse it. If I acted like something was _off_ now, then I may never find out what was going on.

I would never find out why the man I started to fall in love was trying to hurt me.

Tears trickled down my cheeks as I looked out the window, tracing the shapes of the buildings across campus. Around six o'clock that morning, as my eyes were fighting with me to close, I noticed that beyond the curtain of snow, there was movement. As in people walking around. I realized that the sun would normally be rising at that time, but with the curtains of snow and the constant shadowing from the dark grey clouds, I couldn't be sure that it was up. But there was now enough light to see people walking. Three shapes from the look of it, walking near the rope course. I sat up quickly and pressed my face against the window. It was hopeless to see their faces, but my heart sped up in wonder. Any normal people would be inside in the warmth, not traipsing around campus like it was a nice autumn day.

Who were they? Was it Carlisle and Edward? Who was the third person?

And as my heart sped up and I pressed myself closer to the window, the rubber band vision snapped, and I was flying across campus. I gasped, grabbing onto the window pane in an attempt not to fall over.

"Bella?" I heard Alice's voice whisper from her bed, but I ignored her. I was now staring directly into the faces of Edward, Carlisle, and… Jasper. _Jasper_? Was he in on it? I'd never spoken directly to him, and I wouldn't have him as a teacher until I took the Woodshop class that Alice raved about. But he seemed so nice, so normal. Not devious and mistrustful. _Like Edward?_

"Bella?" Alice was standing directly to my right, staring out the window. "What's going on?" I blinked once, staring at the men as they spoke. I was in shock that they didn't seem worried about the snow swirling around them. Their lips moved fast, their conversation quick and to the point. Jasper was nodding, pointing towards my building as Edward spoke.

"They're talking about me," I whispered. Alice shifted and leaned towards the window.

"Who?" she asked. I pointed to the group, wondering if she could see the figures standing in the distance.

"Is that Edward?" she whispered.

"And Carlisle and Jasper," I added. I stared at their mouths, trying to read their lips, but it was a lost cause. Carlisle suddenly looked angry, pointing his finger at Edward. The beautiful face that I loved to dream about contorted in what looked to be rage, and he lunged at Carlisle.

"Oh my God!" I gasped, falling back a few inches from my post at the window. Alice just stared at me as if she knew to wait with the questions. I just hoped that the other girls would remain sleeping.

Jasper jumped forward, faster than I'd ever seen someone move, pulling Edward back. He pointed his finger at Carlisle in what seemed to be a warning. And like a group effort to stay calm, they all closed their eyes and took a deep breath. _That's odd_, I thought. But when they opened their eyes, their eyes flashed. Literally _flashed_. Edward's grey eyes glowed silver for just a second before the color returned. I glanced to Jasper, watching as his hazel eyes did the same, and then to Carlisle. All of them.

And then I was recoiling with the snap of my vision. Closing my eyes, I tried to control my breathing. I could feel Alice's hand on my shoulder, but I ignored the touch. I was scared. I thought that if I just stayed awake, I would avoid the dreams that would haunt me. But I was awake, staring at the nightmares anyway.

"Alice, I'm scared," I whispered. Her arms went around me, pulling me close in an embrace. I leaned into her, letting the quiet tears fall down my cheeks. It wasn't just one or two staff members it seemed… it was all of them.

"What happened?" Alice asked me. I sighed and opened my eyes. Everything in the room was normal, my vision no longer zoning in on anything.

"My vision did that snap thing, and I could see the three of them as if they were right in front of me." Alice stared at the window with a confused look on her face.

"But it's snowing so hard. How did you see them?" I just stared at her, my face stoic.

"Oh," she muttered. "What were they doing?" I glanced out the window and noticed that they were no longer standing in the rope course, and I wondered where they went.

"They seemed to be arguing," I spoke softly, "and then Jasper pointed towards this building. Carlisle yelled something at Edward, and then Edward lunged."

"He lunged at the Director?" Alice laughed. I nodded.

"Alice, their eyes glowed. All three of them. They _glowed_." We didn't say anything after that, and she just held me as we sat in front of the window. I was glad that I had confided in Alice about everything. If I had to keep it all in, I don't know what I would have done.

At about nine o'clock, the girls started to stir. Alice pulled me off of the floor and to my bed, pulling out a notebook. I knew she had more questions, more things to talk about in general, but now that it was daytime we wouldn't be able to talk out loud. A notepad would be a good idea. As Dee rolled out of bed, grunting a 'good morning' towards us, Alice grabbed a pen and started to write.

_You said their eyes glowed—what do you think that means?_

I rolled the pen in my fingers, thinking about her question. I didn't know. I had no idea. All I knew was that something was wrong with those men, and they were trying to involve me in it.

_There's something wrong with them. Not… human._

Alice paused at my response, eyed widening just a bit.

"Hey guys, how long have you been up?" Rosalie was pulling on a pair of sweat pants, glancing out the window with a grimace. I took a shaky breath, wondering if she would sense the lie in my voice.

"About half an hour," I choked out. She nodded, smiling at the silent Alice. She kicked at Madie's bed, trying to get her to wake up. Alice tapped the pen to the paper a few times before she wrote.

_Not human? Do you really want to make that jump?_

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the pen from her.

_Not make that jump? What am I supposed to think?? I don't know what's happening to me. I don't know what they're doing to me._

Alice nodded. Madie waved at us as she made her way to the closet, pulling out her clothes for the day. Everyone seemed to be dressing down in sweats and t-shirts, knowing that the furthest they would go is the kitchen downstairs. Angela just sat up and walked out of the room without changing from her pajamas; she wasn't a morning person, and I didn't blame her. The snow made the interior of the building colder than usual and waking up to the freezing temperatures must not have felt great. Alice tapped on the notebook, and I looked down.

_We need to find out about this 'transformation' they were talking about. _

I thought about it for hours that morning while staring out the window, but I had no idea. I knew there was no way to find that out without knowing who, or what, they were. I wrote that down for Alice, and she nodded.

_You're right. Now, how do we find out who they are? Better yet, find out what they want with you?_

I watched Madie move about the room, wishing that she would hurry up and leave. There would be no way to say that to her though, it would draw suspicion.

"We snoop," I whispered. Alice looked at me in confusion, and I realized that I had spoken aloud. I grabbed the pen from Alice's hand and hastily wrote my explanation.

_We snoop. I was in E's room, but didn't get a chance to look through his stuff. I don't know which room is J's, but the Director's house is right around the corner. He seems to be the one in charge, so there must be something there!_

Alice nodded, reading as I wrote. Her eyes were alight with anticipation, and I could see the wheels turning. I continued to write, my mind spitting out ideas. Where were these ideas when I sat for hours, thinking?

_We search E's room first. Look for anything out of the ordinary. We have less of a chance getting caught if we start there first. Then move on to the Director's house._

Alice grabbed the pen and flipped the page, her writing getting larger.

_What if I can find out which room is J's?_

I looked at her in question; no words were necessary, she understood what I was asking.

_There are ways. I've seen the way he looks at me in class and even out of class. I know that if I wasn't a student he would have already gone after me. I'll just flirt it up a bit and ask questions._

I laughed, waving my hand in apology as Madie jumped. I could just imagine the pixie going after Jasper, batting her eyelashes with no regards to the consequences. Jasper would be shocked, but most likely reveal_ something_. The small bunny going after the wolf.

My laughter died out as I remembered the pictures of animals on the doors in Edward's building. The wolf… I wrote quickly.

_Find out if he's in the same building as E, if he is I think I know which room it is._

Alice nodded immediately. The plan was forming in my mind, and my stomach turned in eagerness. I needed to find out what was going on, and I needed to find out if I was either going out of my mind or thinking clearly for once.

Madie waved at us as she walked out of the door, so I grabbed the notebook and closed it, tucking it under my mattress. I grabbed Alice's hands, no longer tired.

"Okay, so I'm going to sneak back into Edward's room tonight," I whispered, "and meanwhile I want you to work on Jasper. We may not even have to go into his room, but we'll know once we hit up Edward and Carlisle's." Alice glanced at the door when we heard footsteps, but turned back to me quickly.

"When are we sneaking into the Director's house?" she asked. I bit my lip nervously. I didn't know how hard it would be to sneak into that house, especially if there was someone in it. It was the most visited area besides the Rec Hall, with all of the therapy sessions that went on, and all of the students and teachers going in and out. The only time we would have was…

"Before we're released back to classes," I said. "Right now everyone has to stay in their buildings, so we wouldn't have to worry about anyone walking in. Even most of the teachers are limited to where they go." My heart was racing.

"We go to Edward's room tonight, Director's tomorrow night."

* * *

I decided at noon to sleep. Alice had to force me to eat something, and even then I would only eat pre-packaged food. Eventually Edward or Esme would hand me food that could be contaminated, I knew this. And when that time came I would probably eat it. But until then I would eat my beef jerky and drink from my personal water bottle.

Alice and I planned on sneaking out around two o'clock that night, knowing that all of the students would be asleep. Since I already knew the layout of Edward's room, I would be the one sneaking in while Alice hid outside of his window. If anyone was coming near the window, she would tap on the window, alerting me to hide or run. I thought it was a great plan, especially if something went wrong. If we didn't know where Edward was, and he was already in the room when I entered, I could always pretend I was visiting him. The option of him not being alone at that point was not something I wanted to think of. After all, Carlisle knew Edward and I were talking outside of the student-teacher persona, right?

I awoke at nine, feeling fully rested and somewhat moody. Now that my mind was running properly and without sleep deprivation, I was able to choose the correct emotions towards everything. I was mad about everything, a little perplexed about the whole vision thing (okay a lot perplexed), and even a little curious about it all. Alice was right; this was our very own mystery novel.

Once I rolled out of bed, I made my way to the showers to get clean. I barely kept my eyes open as I removed all of my clothes, and I stepped in the shower blind. The hot water did wonders on my muscles, easing the knots that had formed over the past day. As I was drying off, I looked in the mirror and gasped.

Everything was clear. As in crystal clear.

My vision was pristine, and I could see the lines in the tile as well as the individual drops of water that were rolling down my skin.

My vision was perfect. Better than perfect. Better than when I was wearing contact lenses.

"Well, I'll be damned," I whispered. Part of me was thinking '_at least I'm getting something out of this entire fiasco_'.

I dressed quickly and ran down the stairs to find Alice. She was sitting in the living room, playing a game of Monopoly with Dee, Madie and Angela. There were a lot of spectators, cheering the different players on. Over all, they were having a great time. Being normal.

Alice looked up at me and smiled, waving me forward. I could see the small scratch on her right thumb, most likely from one of the classes. I realized then that my vision was a little too perfect. I could see things that weren't that obvious. Like the crack in the stone above the fireplace. The fraying in Dee's sock that would become a hole in the matter of weeks. She never wore anything less than perfect, so I knew she hadn't seen it yet. I glanced at Rosalie, who was sitting in an arm chair reading a John Grisham novel. She had a hangnail on her left hand, middle finger.

I sighed and made my way over to Alice, sitting next to her.

"Hey sleepyhead," she laughed, "feeling better?" I nodded, knowing I couldn't say anything in front of the others. She noticed this and paused before rolling her dice.

"You okay?" she whispered. I nodded but gave her a 'look', letting her know I would need to speak to her. She nodded and continued with her game as if nothing had happened. I joined in on the cheering with the others, showing Alice and Angela my support. Dee thought it offensive that I wouldn't show my support for her, but I just told her to suck it up. She winked at me, so I knew there were no hard feelings.

It was almost twelve by the time the game ended, and Alice did her victory dance on top of the coffee table. I couldn't stop laughing as she started to do a little ass shaking towards Dee.

I knew this was what being a teenager was about. I was supposed to sit around with friends and laugh, gossip and tell stories. Play board games when a snow storm was going on outside, and even relax and read.

Not worry about whether your father is going to beat the shit out of you that night, or if your teachers are trying to poison you or not. My laughter died down and I watched everyone interact. Besides Alice, they were completely unaware that the school they felt so _safe_ in was so… wrong.

"You guys are crazy," Rosalie laughed, "I'm going to bed." A large majority of the others had already retired for the night, and it was basically our group left downstairs. Rosalie waved good night, and Madie and Dee followed behind. Angela helped Alice clean up the Monopoly board while I made my way into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed the water bottle with my name on it, holding it against me like it was my lifeline.

"Oh, Bella, Mr. Masen and Mr. Cullen stopped by earlier this afternoon," Angela said, "I guess just checking on how everyone was doing in the storm. They also brought by snacks for everyone. I guess because you weren't here, Mr. Masen grabbed something for you and put it aside." My heart was racing at Angela's words, and Alice was eyeing me over the girls head. I backtracked to the refrigerator, opening the door quickly. Indeed, there was a brown bag on the top shelf with my name on it. I paused for just a second and then grabbed it, opening it quickly.

Lying inside was a chocolate chip muffin, just like the one he had given me in the cafeteria. I pulled it out, gazing at it with so much hatred that my perfect vision blurred for a moment.

"That's not fair!" Angela said. I looked at her, blinking to get her into focus. She actually looked upset that the muffin was not for her. "Everyone else got dinky ass pastries like crumb cake." I knew that if I didn't eat it, she would want it, so I did the next best thing.

"You want it?" I asked her. Angela's eyes lit up and she shook her head slowly, silently telling me to stop.

"I didn't mean it like that, Bella. I don't want to take your treat." I laughed, loving how her accent sounded when she was bashful. I turned around, grabbing a knife and cutting the muffin in two. I could see Alice behind Angela, gaping at me. Did she actually think I was going to give contaminated food to my friend? I set the two pieces of muffin on a napkin, and turned to put the knife in the sink. As I turned, I let my hip touch the edge of the napkin, pulling it as I went. I held back the smile that threatened to appear on my lips as the muffin plummeted to the floor.

"Oh no!" I said. I set my face in a grimace and looked at Angela apologetically. "I'm so sorry Ang! I didn't mean to do that!" But she laughed and brushed it off.

"That's okay. I shouldn't be eating this late anyway. We'll just beg the Director for another tomorrow." I nodded and bent down to pick the food off of the floor. Sweeping it into the trash, I wished Angela a good night and smiled at Alice. She was grinning, nodding her approval.

"Very tactful," she muttered. I shrugged and grabbed my bottle off of the counter.

"Let's make our way upstairs, and when everyone is asleep, we'll get ready," I whispered. Alice nodded and I followed her up the stairs, treading as quiet as possible. When we entered the room everyone was in bed and attempting to sleep. Rosalie smiled at us with tired eyes, so we made our way to my bed and sat down. I grabbed the notebook from its hidden spot and grabbed the pen.

_I feel good about this._

Alice smiled and leaned over to write.

_Me too. So do we wear all black or something for this?_

I shook my head and pointed out the window to the snow. Black would show up, and we would get caught.

_No, we wear white. This way we can bury ourselves in snow if we're about to get caught._

Alice snorted out a small laugh and nodded. She stood, heading towards the closet as quietly as possible. She disappeared inside, and only a minute later returned with an arm full of clothing. I stood, giving her my bed to lay it all down. She set aside a few pieces and then started to make an outfit. I saw a few pieces of my clothes and smiled. She had chosen a pair of white yoga pants for me, as well as a long sleeved white shirt, and my white down jacket. I had a sudden idea and walked back into the closet. I went over to my closet area and stood on a stool to get to the top shelf. I had thought my mother was being silly when she packed me so many things, but I was suddenly praising her for her ability to give me what I needed when she didn't even know.

I reached to the shelf and grabbed a small zipped pouch, bringing it back to my bed. Unzipping the pouch, I unearthed two white ski caps, throwing then on the bed.

"Our hair is way too dark to keep it uncovered," I whispered. Alice grinned and gave me a high five. She turned around, walking slowly down the isle between all the beds to make sure that everyone was asleep. When she was confident that they were, she made her way back to me and started to dress in her white outfit.

"Hey," she whispered as she pulled a white sweater over her head, "what was that look that you have me when you first came downstairs?" I pulled on my yoga pants, silently hoping they weren't going to leave me too cold.

"My vision is perfect," I muttered. Alice stopped midway in putting on a white pair of jeans and stared at me.

"What?" I pulled out two pairs of socks and threw the second pair on the bed for her.

"My vision. It's perfect. Better than it's ever been." Alice was still motionless as I sat down on the bed to pull my socks on. I sighed, knowing I would have to elaborate.

"I can see things that I shouldn't be able to see," I whispered. "Like the fact that there is a dust bunny under Rosalie's bed, or that from here I can see that Angela is starting to get dandruff. Even the fact that there's a chip in the glass on that painting," I pointed across the room to the picture of a lighthouse, "right in the corner. If we keep slamming the door like we do, it'll become a crack."

Alice slowly put her other leg into her pants and I could hear her swallow hard.

"I know it's crazy," I continued to whisper, "but I woke up, took a shower, and it was like this. Maybe it'll help tonight though."

"Yeah," Alice muttered. I looked at her again and saw that she was staring at me in wonderment.

"What?" I asked. She just shook her head and smiled. When we were done getting dressed, she turned to me and had a look on her face that I didn't recognize.

"Bella, are we sure that this is what you want?" I blinked and my mouth dropped open.

"Excuse me?" I asked, my voice rising slightly. Dee shifted in her bed, and I lowered my voice. "Excuse me?" Alice held up her hands and took a step forward.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still your backup," she laughed, "but are you sure this is what you want to do? If we figure this all out and uncover something, there's no turning back." I knew what she meant. And I knew she meant well. If we did this, and I uncovered something _wrong_ about the school, I would be forced to go back to Forks. Edward, the man who I had once trusted, would be gone. Forever. I nodded though, knowing that this was what needed to happen.

"Feelings aside," I whispered, "if Edward is doing something to me, then I need to know. Are _you_ sure you want to help? This can fall back on you as well." Alice nodded, the excitement back in her eyes. She reached down and grabbed one of the ski caps and pulled it over her head.

"Let's do this madness," she said softly. I nodded, grabbing the other ski cap and put it over my head. I felt like a marshmallow. We made our way out of the room, careful not to wake anyone, and then made our way down the stairs. Halfway down I looked to my right and saw our reflection in the mirror on the wall. I wanted to laugh at how we looked. Every inch of us but our faces was covered in white, and we looked like we stepped out of the Mission Impossible movie. As if reading my mind, Alice started humming the theme song.

"Shh!" I whispered, choking back a laugh.

The house was dark and silent, so we made our way to the front door and took a deep breath before opening it. The snow was still falling, and the snow was well over the steps of the front porch.

"Hope you don't mind getting wet," Alice said. I shrugged, knowing it was inevitable. We stepped out into the frosty air, closing the door tightly behind us. It was less windy than the previous night, and for that I was grateful. Making our way to the edge of the snow, I looked out towards the rope course to see if there was anyone walking outside. The snow had packed down, so I knew it would be okay to walk on. But we would have to do this hand in hand so we wouldn't fall. I took a step out and grabbed Alice's hand, pulling her towards me.

"Just stick together," I whispered. Suddenly I was glad that she was there with me. She had gone above the call of friendship and stuck with me through this whole mess. Most people would have called the Director last night, claiming that I had lost my mind. But she didn't. She listened, and she _believed me_.

Alice grabbed my arm tighter and we stepped out into the snow. It didn't take long to make our way past the teachers' buildings, and we made sure to stay to the sides of buildings, faces down so we would blend. I was pleased when I looked at Alice and saw that she was barely visible with the white backdrop. Anyone looking out of a window wouldn't see us, but Alice pointed out almost right away that most of the windows had awnings pulled down over them.

We were invisible.

As we approached the rope course, Alice suddenly pulled me against the thirty foot tall pole I had conquered that first day in class. She pulled me down next to her, motioning for me to be quiet. I looked around and my eyes landed on our destination building. The door was open, and Edward and Carlisle were walking out. My heart jumped and I stopped breathing.

And just like that, my vision snapped forward, flying across the snow. I gasped and leaned into Alice. She nudged me and put her hand on my knee.

"You okay?" she asked quietly. I nodded and smiled. I was starting to get used to this whole vision thing.

"Rubber band vision," I snickered. She seemed to understand and grinned. I kept my eyes on Edward's face, my heart beating furiously in my chest. His hair was under a black ski cap, and he was dressed in thick clothing, already coating in the falling snow. Suddenly his brows furrowed, and he started to look around the ground as if he heard something.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle's voice was very faint, but I could read his lips perfectly. Edward shook his head and continued to look around. I realized with horror that he probably had heard us. I grabbed the back of Alice's head and ducked it down, hiding her from sight. My heart was pounding so loud that I swore I could hear it.

"Do you hear that?" Edward asked suddenly. Carlisle looked around, glancing right over the spot where Alice and I were hiding. I was peeking out of my sleeve now, hoping that Edward couldn't see me.

But what if he could hear me? _Heartbeat_, I realized. It sounded ridiculous, even in my own mind, but nothing was making sense anymore.

"There are a lot of animals around," I heard Carlisle say. "It's probably just a hiding raccoon or something." But Edward shook his head slowly, his eyes still roaming over the snow. His eyes were bright as he searched, and I tried hard to slow my breathing so my heart rate would slow, but I wasn't having any luck.

"There are two," Edward said then, and I could feel Alice squeeze my hand _hard_. She heard them, too.

"Edward, we don't have time for this. Come on." With one final glance around the snow, Edward followed Carlisle away from the building and towards the Rec Hall. Only when I saw them walk out of sight did I let out a long breath. And just like that, my vision snapped back with such force that I flinched.

"Oh my God," Alice whispered. I could hear the fear in her voice, and I reached over to rub her back.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She looked up at me and I could see the tears. She nodded, but something flashed in her eyes that I didn't recognize.

"Bella," she choked out, "Bella, they could hear our _heartbeats_." She was right, they could. I nodded, rubbing on her back.

"Let's go," I whispered, and I pulled her towards the building.

* * *

**Well?? Like I said, let's get the ball rolling! **

**What do you think they're doing to Bella? What is this transformation that they're putting her through? Is Edward evil? What about Carlisle and poor Jasper? Have they completely lost your trust? What does her vision have to do with any of it, and what's with the Rubberband Vision? And how come they can hear their heartbeats??**

**Remember everyone, please review! I will update ASAP! ~Ashley**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone. I am so sorry that it took me so long to push this chapter out. I've been a complete 'emo-Ashley' this week and wasn't feeling the urge to write good stuff. LOL, but hopefully I'm over that. I worked hard on this chapter, and it's officially the turning point in the story. Remember PLEASE to keep an open mind. It's crazy, but it works. Love you all!!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own a gallon jug of GREEN Hawaiian Punch. This stuff is awesome.**

* * *

Previously…

"_Are you okay?" I asked. She looked up at me and I could see the tears. She nodded, but something flashed in her eyes that I didn't recognize._

"_Bella," she choked out, "Bella, they could hear our heartbeats." She was right, they could. I nodded, rubbing on her back._

"_Let's go," I whispered, and I pulled her towards the building_.

* * *

When Alice and I approached the building that Edward and Carlisle had just vacated, I pointed Alice in the direction of the window. We had the plan worked out; when I got in the room I would flash a light to let her know which window it was. And then she would wait, on the lookout, while I rummaged through his belongings. I had to do this as carefully as possible, making sure that I leave everything just as I had found it. Being discovered, implicated of breaking and entering, and then sent home (in Alice's case, sent to jail), was the last thing we needed.

I had realized at an early age that I was born without a graceful bone in my body. With time I had learned to accommodate the clumsiness, and I even got better at walking without tripping over thin air.

Every single thing I had ever taught myself over the years had flown out the fucking window, and I was now tripping into Edward's building with embarrassing difficulty. I could hear Alice chuckle softly as she walked around the building, but I refused to get offended and overreact. Closing the door behind me softly, I made my way to Edward's room, eyeing the picture of the hawk that was still posted outside of the door. I swallowed thickly as I examined the picture, realizing that the look in the birds' eye reminded me slightly of Edward. _Odd._

Now that I knew Edward would not be in the room, I was not as nervous about entering his room. Closing his door behind me slowly, I stood quietly in the darkness. My eyes barely adjusted to the lack of light before I mentally smacked myself. I reached around the wall, looking for a light switch. When I found it, I pushed on it twice, letting the overhead light illuminate the inside of the room only briefly before I encased myself in the darkness once again. I crossed my fingers that Alice had indeed seen the light beneath the covered window and got straight to work.

Grabbing the penlight from my pocket, I headed directly for Edward's tall dresser. My heart was pounding loudly, drowning out the sound of the storm outside, and I sent a silent apology to Alice for having to stand out in the cold for so long.

Opening the top drawer, I looked inside. It occurred to me that I didn't know exactly what I was looking for, but I brushed the thought to the side and forged on.

The top drawer was filled with rolled up socks and boxers. I felt the heat in my cheeks when I saw the undergarments. Poking under the material I concluded that there was nothing else in the drawer. Closing it, I went to the second; t-shirts and a few long sleeved sweaters. Nothing seemed to be under the clothes. Closing that one as well, I went on to the third. I felt like I was striking out, but I didn't know what else to expect from a dresser besides what I was finding… clothes. I moved on to the long dresser and paused, glancing at my reflection. I was pale as hell, and looked panicked beyond belief. My large brown eyes stared back at me as if I expected the reflection to jump out and yell 'Boo!'

As I looked down into the top right drawer, I caught the glint of something on the wall behind me. My eyes did a double take before I turned and aimed the penlight at the spot and eyed the necklace that I had seen the previous night. Edward had touched the hawk pendant as if he were longing for something. It meant something to him, but I didn't know what. I rolled my eyes at myself; of course I didn't know. I knew nothing _about_ Edward. I eyed the jewel eyes of the hawk before I turned back and finished my search of the dresser. I had found nothing except for a few folders devoted to lesson plans, but those honestly meant nothing to me. I looked towards the bed and my eyes rested on the nightstand to the side. If there was anything important, he would want it right next to him… right?

I flashed the light towards the drawer and walked towards it quickly, pulling open the top drawer. And just like that, I gasped. Sitting right on top was a large black book, hard covered as if it were a journal. It reminded me very much of the one I used to keep back in Forks, and I felt my heart beat even faster and a sheer layer of sweat appear on my forehead. Careful not to disturb the other papers in the drawer, I lifted the notebook and eyed the blank cover. _Very new. Very manly._

I paused for just a moment as I stared at the cover. If this was actually his journal, then it would most likely carry information that I needed… or didn't want. Normally I would never intrude in on such privacy, but my mind was still swimming with the breaking of trust that I felt. I took a deep breath and opened the cover.

The front page was filled with Edward's elegant scrawl, and I knew I had indeed stumbled on his journal. The date on the first page read October 30th. It was a month ago, but still recent. I glanced at the bed, but decided that I didn't want to mess up the covers. So instead I kneeled on the floor and aimed the light to the page. I realized then that I almost didn't need the light. Everything was so clear, so in focus.

_October 30__th__:_

_My nerves are jumbled, and I am actually looking forward to a change. Alexander told Carlisle today that he felt something coming. He didn't know what, but it would change everything. I tried to talk to Carlisle about it, but he only informed me that it was nothing to be worried about._

_I want to disagree with him, but I'm trying to hold my tongue. He is the leader, and I am a new Ganduri. But what if I have questions, shouldn't he answer them? _

_Until this change happens, I will sit back and do what is asked of me. I do love my job, and I love interacting with the students on campus. It's almost like traveling back a few years, heh._

_-E_

My eyes crinkled in confusion as I finished the journal entry, and I re-read it quickly to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything. What the hell was a Ganduri? What change was this Alexander talking about? My mind went through the teachers in my mind, just to make sure that I didn't overlook a teacher named Alexander, but I knew I hadn't. Maybe it was someone from town?

I flipped the page, looking at the next entry.

_November 10__th__:_

_I still can't believe she's here. The first day I saw her I knew there was something about her that was different. But in my class that day, I touched her skin and I felt fire. My skin had jumped in a flame, and I knew why she was so different. I told Carlisle, and he was baffled. It's never happened, there's never been a female. But I felt what Carlisle felt when he touched my skin years ago- I felt the fire. She even looked at me as if she could feel a change. All she has to do is be in our company and she will feel the change. But we started with the doses of serum, we'll know more in time. We'll know if it's working if her vision changes. _

_-E_

My right hand was clenching over the penlight with such strength that I could hear the plastic crack. I dropped it though, letting the light roll a few feet away. I didn't need it anyway to see the words that screamed at me from the page. I could only think one thing though: _these people are out of the flipping minds_.

I looked down to the book, seeing it clearly in the dark, and I flipped to the next page. But it was empty. Bending the pages as a whole, I flipped through them to see that they were _all_ empty. It was a new journal. But I looked up at the bookshelf and then at the closet. If this was a new journal, then that mean there were old ones. I jumped to my feet, shoving the book back in the drawer and grabbed the light off of the floor. I had a sense of urgency in me as I headed directly for the bookshelf. There had to be a journal among the mass of books, and I would find it.

_Tap Tap Tap. Tap Tap Tap._

I froze. Alice.

_Tap Tap Tap. _

The tapping was urgent, I could tell. My heart jumped in my chest, and I glanced around the room quickly. I didn't have time to run for it, so I needed to hide. Would I have success with the closet again? If Edward opened it though, I might not be as lucky the second time around with his lack of attention. The only other place would be under the bed; so that is where I slid. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that under the bed was vacant. I clicked off the penlight seconds before I heard the outer door open and close seconds before I slid my feet under the bed with me. I was forcing my breathing to slow as I heard Edward's bedroom door open quickly. I flinched though as the door let in a torrent of harsh light. As the door closed, the light switch was flipped on; I stopped breathing.

From my prison, I watched two feet walk around the bed and stop in front of the closet, opening the doors. Relief flooded me, as well as pure fear, when I realized that if I had chosen that horrible closet as my hiding place, I would be in more trouble than I bargained for. It's one thing to walk in on Edward and pretend I was visiting, but to be discovered in his closet? No, there was nothing I could do to fix that.

After a bit of rummaging, I heard a soft curse leave Edward's lips. His voice was pure velvet, and I hated to admit that at that moment. The closet door closed and I watched as he kicked off his snow boots. My mouth dropped open in horror. Was he going to be staying? What was I going to do? My heart faltered again, but I took a deep breath trying to calm it. Edward would hear the rapid beating, I was sure of it.

And just like that, Edward stopped moving. There was not a sound in that small room except for the storm outside. I couldn't blink, I couldn't move. Edward's socked feet turned towards the bed, and again he stopped. I could hear his steady breathing echo through the room as he remained completely motionless.

And just like that, the bed was lifting off of me. I gasped, looking up at Edward's face. Several things registered in that moment—one being the fact that Edward had lifted the mattress off of the box spring with just one arm, and that was impressive. Second, it only confirmed that he could hear my unsteady heart beat, which gave me away. Third, his face was contorted in what looked to be anger and looked like he was ready to fight. And last… his eyes were glowing again.

I choked back a scream as his face smoothed out in shock and the mattress fell back on me. The dark blanket was more than welcomed as it closed me in, but it was false hope that he would just walk away, because not more that two seconds later Edward was squatting down on the floor and staring at me in shock.

"Bella? What the hell!" he whispered fiercely. For just a second I thought about taking the loser way out of this and just screaming for help. Someone would come, and I would concoct a story about how Edward stole me away from my room and tried to keep me captive in his room as his sex slave. But as I looked into his grey eyes, I felt a flicker of what I used to feel—attraction. And I knew that I would be better off sticking to the original plan. So I posted an enormous smile on my face and slid out of my shelter to greet Edward. As if nothing had happened, as if I knew nothing at all. As if I hadn't seen his eyes glow just seconds ago.

"Hey!" I whispered back. I stood quickly and gave him another smile, this time more tentative. "I'm sorry if I freaked you out. I wanted to see you." I glanced down at my feet and then back up to give him a shy glance. Edward smiled at me, looking over at his door before stepping away. I watched as he walked to the door and _locked it_.

"Bella, you could get in a lot of trouble for sneaking in here," Edward laughed. But he seemed happy to see me, so I knew I was in the clear. Now I just had to act like I _wanted_ to be there with him. But, again, looking at his ruggedly handsome face, I felt my traitor insides turn to mush. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to flirt a little. You know, take one for the team. I felt somewhat guilty about the fact that Alice was most likely outside, wondering if I was safe or if my head was on a torch somewhere.

Edward stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I froze for a moment, but sank into his touch. His fingers rubbed a pattern on my jacket and I could hear him inhale as he pressed his face into my neck.

"I'm glad you're here though," he whispered, sending a chill down my spine. "I was at your building earlier, but you were asleep. Alice said something about a late night. Did you get the muffin I left for you?" He leaned back and looked at my face; I smiled.

"Yes, thank you. Angela tried to barter for it, but I refused." Edward's eyes widened at when I mentioned Angela's name but seemed pleased that I didn't share, which solidified my suspicion that something was in it. Apparently _serum_. I could feel the smile on my face start to fall away, so I stepped back and glanced around the room. I suddenly didn't remember if I had left anything out of place, but from what I could see everything was fine.

"You look like the Michelin man," Edward chuckled. I glared at him, an honest glare, shutting him up right away.

"I had to get here without being seen," I admitted. Edward laughed and turned towards his bed. The mattress was not sitting on the box spring the way it should be, so he shifted it into place. I eyed him carefully, wondering if he was going to show some other odd strength.

"That was impressive," I said carefully. Edward looked up at me in confusion; I pointed to the mattress.

"How you lifted the mattress up like that. How did you even hear me?" Something flashed in his eyes, and I watched him carefully, judging his reactions.

"Oh, yeah... I heard the rustling of your jacket." No, I thought, I didn't make a damn noise. I gave him a small smile and shrugged.

"I should be impressed you're that strong," I slipped in. Edward's cheeks flushed, and he let out a laugh. It sounded forced, and I knew he was uncomfortable about my questions. I didn't care too much though; I knew that the more questions I asked, the more he might slip up and give me more information. I just had to be careful about this.

"Sorry if my dropping by is too inappropriate," I continued, "I just hadn't seen you in a while." Edward smiled at me and pulled me in for another hug.

"Of course I don't mind. I just don't want you to get in trouble." I pulled back and reached up, kissing him on his cheek. My stomach turned slightly at how fake I felt. I felt dirty, like one of the girls at my old school who would throw themselves at the cute Biology teacher who had started last year. Ignoring the feeling that had crawled under my skin, I stepped away from Edward and glanced around the room. I didn't know what to say, and he didn't seem to be offering any topics of conversation.

"You should probably head out, Carlisle is stopping by within the hour to talk about something. I don't want you to get caught." I forced back the sigh of relief and nodded. Giving him another hug, I stepped towards the door.

"I'll see you later?" he asked. I nodded again and unlocked the door, shoving the feeling of relief away. I didn't need him to think that I was glad to be going. Just as I got to the outer door, Edward called after me,

"Bella? How did you know which room was mine?" I froze. The question I didn't have an answer for. My heart started to speed up and I cursed the typical reaction. Surely Edward had heard the change in tempo, but I needed to play it off. I turned and smiled at him.

"Oh, I saw you enter this building a while ago. I kind of guessed which room was yours—after all, the hawk does sort of remind me of you." His eyebrows rose in question, glancing at the picture of the hawk outside of his room. I took a chance, actually saying what I wanted to for once.

"You have the same eyes. It's almost like they glow." Edward was the one who froze this time. He looked up at me and smiled, waving at me as I walked out of the building and back into the snow. Immediately I breathed out a sigh of relief and glanced around.

"Oh thank God!" Alice's voice traveled towards me. I narrowed my eyes at a lump near a snow covered bush about ten feet away and smiled. Alice was curled up in the snow, staring directly at the door. I motioned for her to follow me and to stay quiet. We moved through the rope course as we had done before, glancing around to make sure no one saw us. By the time we made it to our building, I was near tears. Around the time we had passed the teachers' cabins, I lump had formed in my throat, and I felt the prickling of tears in my eyes. Kicking my shoes off as quiet as possible, I stepped into the warmth of the house and fell to my knees for the second time in two days.

"Let's get upstairs," Alice whispered, "and then we'll talk." I nodded, choking back the sobs that were threatening to escape my chest. I let her pull me off of the ground and up the stairs. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and gasped. My skin was almost as white as the clothes that I wore, and my eyes were wide and panicky. I looked scared, shaken, and jumpy all at once. Alice pulled me into the room and started to remove her snow covered outfit. I followed suit, glancing at the other girls to make sure they were all there. They were, and continued to snore away as if there were nothing wrong with the world.

When I was warm and defrosting in a pair of sweats, Alice pulled me back downstairs, stopping by the kitchen to fix us hot drinks. I felt guilty as I looked at her, seeing that her face was not just white, but her lips were slightly blue from the cold. Her hands were a little shaky, so I walked over to the coat closet and grabbed a pair of gloves. I didn't know who they belonged to, and I didn't care. After Alice sat the two cups of hot tea on the coffee table, I reached over and put the gloves on her hands. She smiled at me in thanks and sat next to me. No words were spoken for at least five minutes as we sipped our drinks, letting the hot liquid flow through our systems.

"So?" Alice asked quietly. I glanced at her and frowned.

"I'm sorry that I left you out there for that long," I apologized. She waved it off as if it were nothing though and motioned for me to start with my story. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"I didn't get a chance to search his entire room before he came in," I whispered, "but I did find his journal." Alice's eyes grew wide and she set her mug down on the table.

"That's great! Did you get a chance to read any of it?" I nodded.

"Yeah, but it was a newer journal or something, because it only had a couple entries in it. But that was enough to give me something I guess." I took another breath and set my mug next to Alice's.

"Do you know what a Ganduri is?" I asked her carefully. Her eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head slowly. She looked just as confused as me.

"I don't know, Alice," I laughed bitterly. "That first entry said something about someone named Alexander sensing a change. And then it mentioned that Ganduri thing, and he said that he was a new Ganduri. Is it a club or something?" I asked the question rhetorically but Alice shrugged her shoulders. I felt a few tears fall down my cheeks and brushed them away angrily.

"And the second entry, which was the last, is all about me." Alice's jaw went slack and her eyes went a little wider.

"What do you mean? Did he give any information? What did it say?"

"He said that the first time he touched my skin he felt what Carlisle felt when he touched _his _skin years ago. Apparently he felt some kind of fire, but that it didn't make sense because 'there's never been a female'. I don't even understand!" Alice set her hand on my knee and started to rub comforting circles over the black fabric.

"What else?" she pressed. I thought for a second and realized that Edward had confirmed what I had been suspicious of.

"He said they were giving me some kind of serum. And that I'll be going through changes. Even mentioned my vision changing."

"Okay," Alice muttered, "now we have to figure out what a Ganduri is." I rolled my eyes and let my head fall back onto the back of the couch.

"It's not like we have internet access," I grumbled, "and I can't exactly ask him."

"No, but that just means we'll have to take a look-see at the Director's house." I looked over at Alice and asked her silently with my eyes when that would be. The confidence she exuded faltered slightly, but she pressed on.

"We'll go tomorrow… well tonight actually. We'll go to sleep now and then head out at the same time." I shook my head.

"No, we can't." Alice started to object, but I held my ground. "Alice, I almost got caught. I had to hide under the damn bed, and he still found me. Which reminds me…" I told Alice about how Edward reacted, and how he lifted the entire bed off of me. Her eyes were wide, but she nodded, agreeing that we couldn't just sneak into the Director's house.

"There's no other way to get in," I muttered. I let my eyes trail along the wall, looking at the cracks that seemed so clear. I looked at the pictures on the wall of students and teachers, jealous of how happy they all seemed. My attention was torn away when Alice squealed in happiness, a little happy-dance ensuing right after.

"Therapy much?" I muttered. Her eyes met mine and she nodded.

"Exactly!"

* * *

When I awoke at one o'clock that afternoon, I didn't want to get out of bed. There was sunlight filtering in through the window, and the sound of something grinding outside. I sighed and rolled out from under the covers, glancing around the room once; no one was there with me.

I looked outside and smiled. There was a large truck with a plow blade attached to it, pushing the snow away from the buildings. A large cluster of people held snow shovels, scraping the snow away from the buildings. I sighed with relief, glad that the snow had stopped falling.

Behind me the door swung open, making me jump in surprise.

"Great! You're awake!" Rosalie cheered. I tried to glare at her, but in all actuality I was glad to see her. Over the past couple of days I had stopped talking to anyone but Alice. I felt the guilt creep into me, but pushed it aside before I wallowed in it.

"Yeah, sorry for sleeping the day away," I said. Rosalie just shrugged and pulled me into a small hug.

"That's okay. I would take offense to it, but Alice slept in too." She winked and glanced out the window before heading back towards the door.

"Get dressed and come downstairs," she said as she stood in the doorway. "We're all heading out to help with the snow. I'm staging a snowball fight against the boys." I laughed as she wiggled her eyebrows at me and closed the door. I sighed, staring out of the window at the other students. People were already throwing snowballs, ducking and hiding behind trees so they could ambush others. I wanted so badly to be carefree and join in. I headed for the closet and grabbed some clothes for the day. Dressing quickly, I headed down the stairs, pulling my hair into a hair tie.

I ventured into the kitchen, feeling a sense of appreciation that there was a pile of bagels still out from that morning. I grabbed one without bothering to toast it, shoving it in my mouth as I headed out the front door. I was immediately immersed in forced conversation as Esme asked me how I was feeling. Apparently sleeping in two days in a row was enough to pique her concern, as well as Carlisle's.

"I'm okay I think," I told her with a forced smile. I still didn't trust her, and I didn't know what connection she had to what was happening. But I had to be civil; I was still a student, and she was my teacher. She had as much to do with my stay here as anyone else. After all, with Alice's plan, we would need Esme on our side as much as possible.

I had to admit that Alice's plan was ingenious. It was like a light bulb went off in her crazy mind and everything fell together for her. Today we would stage a fight of some sort between the two of us. Nothing insane, but enough to where Alice would rush off 'crying'. I, of course, would come across as the mean person. I think it was pretty believable, especially with the rumors of my anger issues causing me to get sent to Isolation. Alice dropped that little fact on me when we were sitting on the couch, and I could do no more than gape at her. Did people really think I had anger issues? The thought hurt a little, really.

According to the plan, Alice would have a 'breakdown'… code seven I believe Edward had called it. With the way the snow was covering the campus and effectively causing all of the students and staff to remain indoors at night, Alice would speak to Esme that night and ask her for an emergency therapy session, and ask if they could be somewhere private. Honestly, that 'privacy' factor only left them to one place—the Director's house. And of course, it being the Director's house, Carlisle himself would probably sit in on the session. Which was fine with Alice, as she would pour out her heart to Esme about how tough it was being in a fight with me.

But most importantly, I would be sneaking out of the building and taking the back way into the house. Alice told me about a path that cut behind our building, through the woods slightly, and to the back of the Director's house to a door to where I could sneak in. The rest would be up to me. I needed to look around upstairs and see what I could find in reference to 'Ganduri' or the serum that was being shoved down my throat.

Making sure I had my water bottle with me, I politely walked away from Esme and sought out Alice. Chunks of snow flew through the air, mostly thrown by the guys. Girls ducked out of the way, screeching about their hair and telling them to back off. It was sort of comical though, seeing how they all interacted with each other. I took a swig of my water, finishing off my bagel, and set the water bottle down on the porch railing. Stepping out onto the snow, I smiled at the sound of crunching snow. Yep, still my favorite sound in the world.

"Bella!" I turned, smiling at Madie, Angela and Alice as they worked with their snow shovels. They seemed to be creating paths between our building and the one next to us.

"Hey!" I waved. I thanked Emmett as he handed me a shovel and went to join the girls. I couldn't help but grin when I saw Rosalie leaning against the side of the building, blatantly staring at Emmett as he worked.

"Feeling rested?" Alice asked. I nodded, laughing at myself.

"Yeah, I guess I need to stop spending so much time up at night." Madie laughed at me and started telling me what I had missed that morning. Apparently there had been a brief, unofficial meeting on the plans for the day. The school was planning on restarting the classes the next day, so they wanted the students to help clear paths between all of the buildings.

"The truck is here though to get most of the snow to the side," Angela said, pointing to the white monstrosity. "We just need to make sure most of the snow is clear of the grass before it becomes ice." I nodded, hoping that I didn't slip too much on the ice. That would be embarrassing as hell, having to walk around with crutches as I nursed a broken leg back to health.

The afternoon dragged on as the students made our way across campus to make paths. I kept my eyes open for Edward, and my stomach had jumped a little when I saw him walk out of his building and headed in our direction. He saw me and gave me a little head nod and smile. I forced myself to smile back, but was glad that he walked up to Carlisle and Jasper; I was not ready to talk to him right now.

I'll be honest with myself- I was a little heartbroken. All the times that my breath caught in my throat and all the times that I forced myself to control my heart beat because it jumped at the sight of him, they had not gone ignored. I knew all those times still existed. I could still feel the touch of his lips on my own, which is what caused me to force bile down my throat. I was still heartbroken.

"Bella," Alice said to me, stepping close as we shoveled snow to the side of the walkway, "look to the left of the building. See that gap in the woods?" I looked over, and indeed saw the three foot gap in the clearing. Nodding, I continued to shovel.

"When you go through that opening, you'll continue on about thirty feet or so, and you'll notice the trail curves to the left. Follow that to the end of the trail, and that will lead you directly behind the house." I didn't acknowledge Alice after that, knowing that I couldn't talk about it too much. After all, if Edward could hear our heart beats, who says he couldn't hear our conversation?

As my little group of workers made our way past the rope course, I saw Alice from the corner of my eye pull a ski cap from her pocket. I smirked at her, knowing that was my signal of what was to come. I braced myself, hoping that Alice wouldn't actually take offense to what I would say to her…

And just like that a snowball hit me on the side of the head.

"What the _hell_?" I yelled out. Showtime.

Laughter exploded from around me, not just from the girls, but from onlookers as well. It's what we expected, other students watching the interaction; I just hadn't expected so many. Alice was laughing with them, but I kept my angry face on. She reached down and shoveled another handful of snow, chucking it at me without a seconds thought. Madie gasped at Alice's action, staring at me to gauge my reaction. She wasn't the only one though; Emmett stood with Rosalie, Angela and Dee stood off to the side, and about ten or so other students were standing next to … Edward and Jasper. Great. Well, let's give them a show.

"Alice, what the hell? Does it look like I want to play?" I brushed the snow off of my jacket, using a little more force than necessary. But Alice just let out a little giggle and reached down for more snow. I opened my mouth to tell her to stop, but the snow was traveling through the air before I could let out a word. I closed my eyes, forcing all of the anger I could towards the surface. I needed to make this believable, so I needed real angry feelings.

"What the fuck!" I screamed out. I opened my eyes and saw that Alice's own eyes were a little wide and her smile was gone.

"Wait a second, Bella," I could hear Jasper say from behind me. But I ignored him and took a step towards Alice. I kept my eyes on her, sending one last look at her telling her that I wasn't serious, and then turned my eyes back to stone.

"You never fucking listen to anyone!" I yelled at her. I felt a pang of guilt as I saw her eyes well up with tears, but she had told me earlier to ignore them. "I am so sick of you just doing whatever it is that you want to do, and never care about anyone else. I told you not to throw the damn snow, but you don't fucking care!"

"I'm sorry," Alice whispered. I shook my head, throwing the shovel down on the ground.

"No, don't apologize to me. I'm done with this. I'm done with you." And with that, I turned around, ignoring the stares of the others, and stormed into the building. My heart was pounding as I kicked off my boots, but I could feel a smile flitter across my mouth. _No, don't smile. Be pissed._

"Bella?" The voice caused the smile to immediately disappear, and I knew that acting pissed wouldn't be hard now. I turned to Edward, glaring at him like I wanted to—no reason to hold back emotions now.

"What?" I bit out. He looked taken aback by the venom in my voice, but he brushed it off.

"Bella, what the hell was that about?" he asked gently. I ignored him, taking off my jacket as I headed up the stairs. I could feel my blood boil at how Edward was acting to compassionate, and I didn't know how to react to him. The easy way out? Ignore him, walk upstairs, and close my bedroom door. But he wasn't letting me go that easily, and I could hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs behind me.

"Don't ignore me!" Edward snapped, grabbing my arm. I turned to him, looking down at those beautiful grey eyes. I pulled my arm away roughly, pointing at him in anger.

"Don't you tell me what to do," I whispered. "You don't get to dictate how I act. You don't know anything about me, you don't know anything about what is going on in my life. You and I hardly know each other." Something flashed in Edward's eyes for a second, and he slowly withdrew his outstretched hand.

"Okay." Just that one word, that's all Edward had to say? I all but growled at him and turned around, heading for my bedroom, leaving him behind.

"I meant to ask, how are your eyes?" The question caused me to freeze, pivoting on my heel slowly. I stared at him in question, wondering if he would actually be that bold to ask me. What I saw though proved to me that he would be; Edward was staring directly at me, his eyes hard and cold. I could see the traces of a smirk on those lips, and I immediately wanted to smack the look off of his face. He actually looked like he was taunting me. Had I now known that he was behind this, I would have thought he was being considerate. But I knew better.

"Fine. They're actually back to the way they were before all that insanity happened. I guess it was a crazy cold or something," I found myself lying. "Thank God I kept my old contact lenses, otherwise I'd have to go back and see Dr. Dresely. Thanks for asking." I held back the smile I wanted to throw back at Edward as I saw the shock cross his face. If I had been telling the truth, and my vision was back to normal, I bet their plans were ruined. _Let them squirm_.

I made my way back up the stairs without another word to Edward. I shoved the door shut with a little more force than I should have, but I wanted Edward to know that I was angry.

The room was empty, but I knew this. I made my way towards the window, throwing my jacket on my bed as I went. Pressing myself against the glass, I looked out and saw a cluster of people near the rope course. I could see Alice's small figure from the window, and recognized the forms of our roommates around her. They would be consoling her, I knew.

Now there was nothing left to do but wait.

* * *

Night fell, and I was safely tucked into my bed, listening to the other girls come and go. No one bothered me, which was great because I didn't know if I could keep up the façade of being mad at Alice.

At one point I heard Rosalie and Madie whispering near the door. Rosalie was saying how Alice was so distraught that she was going to the Director's house for a therapy session. I did a silent cheer in my bed, grinning to myself that the plan was working. Everything was falling into place, just like Alice said it would. I knew to only give myself another fifteen minutes before I would roll out of bed and say I was going downstairs. From there, I would say I was going for a walk. From there, I would sneak away.

My heart thumped wildly as I slid from my bed. Rosalie was still sitting on her bed, and she eyed me warily.

"I'm sorry about earlier," I muttered, "I've had a really shitty couple of days." She nodded, smiling at me sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. Just find Alice and fix it." I nodded. Had it been a real fight, she would have been right. We'd 'fix' it, of course.

"I'm going to go sit out on the porch," I told Rosalie. She nodded, waving at me as I left. I threw on my jacket and made my way down the stairs. I had no idea what time it was, but only a few girls were in the living room area, and all of them looked at me with trepidation in their eyes. I ignored them though, barely looking their way as I walked out the door and into the cold night air.

I zipped up my jacket, pulling the gloves from my pocket onto my hands. I exhaled, seeing the air in front of my face. Trying hard to still my nerves, I glanced around to make sure that no one was watching. To my relief the campus seemed deserted, so I immediately veered to the side and headed towards the trail Alice had pointed out.

My mind was going crazy, matching the speed of my heart. I couldn't believe I was doing this, couldn't believe I was going to search through the Director's house. I don't know why it felt so different from Edward's bedroom, but I knew that if I got caught doing _this_, then I would definitely be gone. Not just home; jail. But I needed to know what was going. I needed to know why Edward looked at me with such a smug face on the stairwell. I had to know.

I came to the opening in the forest and paused. The branches around me were covered in ice, giving the entrance a more ominous look. The lights from the house behind me glinted off of the icicles, and I immediately thought of them as teeth. Shoving my gloved hands into my pockets, I walked through the forests mouth and concentrated on the crunching of my boots on the thick layer of snow.

I kept my eyes out for the gap in the trail for me to turn off, feeling the cold start to sink into my skin. How had Alice put up with this last night? I must have left her outside for a good twenty minutes, and here I was complaining about being outside for five.

"Oh, thank God," I whispered to myself when I saw the gap in the trail. The opening itself was almost covered by snow and fallen branches, but I could tell it was where I needed to be. I eyed the snow around the walkway carefully, not wanting to slip and fall. Getting injured would _so_ screw this up. I sighed, stepping through the snow and walking down the path a few feet before I froze. My eyes had already adjusted to the night, and I squinted through the brush to my right. I could hear the strangest noise, almost like a bird screeching. I didn't move for a full minute, but when I didn't hear the noise again, I turned back to my destination. After all, there wouldn't be any birds in the forest now, right? It was winter, and they'd most likely be further south.

'_No, she's not ready.'_

My blood ran cold at the voice, and I became motionless. I didn't hear the voice in the air… but rather I heard it in my head. Like I had heard all those times before. And it was the same voice.

I looked around slowly as if I expected someone to jump out of the bushes at me, but when I came up with nothing I halted my movements again. There was someone in the forest, I could feel it. And then again, I heard the sound of a bird, an irritated screeching sound.

Without realizing what I was doing, I backed out of the trail and headed back to the original path I had been on. I heard noises ahead of me, rustling and shifting in the brush. I took a deep breath in attempt to slow my breath and trudged forward.

I didn't know what I was doing and I had no idea what compelled me to walk deeper into that forest than I need to. I should have been at the Directors' house, breaking and entering. I should be finding out more information about what was happening to me. But instead, I followed the voices I heard in my head. I should be locked away in an asylum.

One foot in front of another, I walked further into the forest, leaving the safety of the school behind me. I had not heard any more from the voice, but I kept hearing the movements up ahead. I didn't think about whether it would be an animal or if I could be in any kind of danger, but instead walked faster and faster in hopes of finding _something_.

"No!" I heard the voice to my side and immediately hit the ground. My hands sank into the snow as I held myself as close as possible, and I pressed my face into the nearest tree. There was not much coverage, but I doubted someone would look close enough to see me crouching.

"I said _no_," the voice whispered dangerously. My heart skipped when I realized that it was the same voice I heard in my head just moments ago. It sounded so familiar, but I couldn't place it. I felt excited though as I realized the person was standing less than twenty feet away from me. I would find out who it was, maybe find out why I was hearing them so vividly in my own mind.

I listened as I heard another screeching sound, as well as a muted 'thump' from the spot ahead of me.

"Good riddance," the voice said quietly. I held my breath then, daring myself to look out of my hiding spot. I lifted my head slowly, my eyes peeking out from behind the tree. At first I didn't see anything, but I shifted again to look around.

My breath caught in my throat, and I bit back a strangled cry. I felt the bile rise in my throat and I bent my head down to the earth to spit out the putrid fluid. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I wanted to crawl back to the school and hide in the closet in my bedroom.

I wanted to run.

But I was frozen.

I stared at the bile I had spit out onto the snow before I forced my eyes back to the site before me.

Edward. Without a shirt.

His hair looked wet, hanging low on his forehead. Directly in front of grey eyes that glowed. He reached one hand up to brush the hair out of his face, and I saw the way his hand grasped the strands of hair. His fingernails were black, elongated at least an inch, pointing into sharp tips. Edward bent his neck to the side as if he was working out a kink, and he turned to the side to grab something off of the ground. And that's when I saw his back. It's what made the bile rise in my throat _again_.

The only way I could describe what I saw would be _wings_. Two large, at least three or four feet long, black _wings_ protruded from Edward's back. They moved with him, looking soft and graceful in the dark of night.

Edward straightened again and moved his neck to the side, working out that same kink. Tears were flowing down my face as I watched the _wings_ start to _shrink_. It was like they were disappearing into his fucking _back_.

My mind was reeling. I was in shock, and I felt sick. This could not be happening. What the hell _was _he?!

Within a minute the wings were gone and Edward was pulling a dark longs sleeved shirt over his head. After he tucked the shirt into his pants he grew still. I didn't want to breathe, didn't want to move as I watched him. My eyes traveled down his body and rested on his black fingernails. And just like that they started to fade, turning the peach color that matched his skin so well. I couldn't tell if they shortened, but I would bet my life that they did.

I could feel the bile rise in my throat again, and I bit my lip in order to keep it in. It didn't work though, and I found myself hunched over in the snow, emptying the contents of my stomach onto the once pristine snow. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I glanced back up.

Edward was staring directly at me, his eyes glowing silver in the night.

I did the only thing I could think of.

I screamed.

* * *

**OK. Remember. Keep an open mind. Because it's fucking awesome. LOL, please review and let me know if you like the story. I need to know if I overstepped my imagination here LOL ****Either way, I'm finishing the story so don't worry. Anyway, any guesses on what's to come next? I'll update ASAP I promise!!!  
~Ashley**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I want to say how sorry I am that I have not updated in almost two weeks. So much has been going on! It started off with me having major writers block and not knowing how to continue, and then I got a new job (so I was no longer at home all day lol) and then my four year old slipped in the snow and broke her arm. Did you know that when that happens your entire world STOPS!? LOL, yeah but I'm back. I will be working my ass off to catch up with the story. An 'I'm sorry' goes out to amybuck1104, because without her review reminding me to get off my ass I probably would have waited a few more days to get the ball rolling. You rock! I just feel so bad because I left it with such a cliffhanger, and then I leave you all hanging for so long. It won't happen again... I promise!**

**OK, this chapter is a basic outline of what's going to be happening with the story... confused? I hope not. Things will be explained and Bella will learn a few more things about what's going on.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do wish I owned Jackson Rathbone right this second. I watched Criminal Minds, the episode he was on, and I just wanted to put him in my pocket. **

* * *

Previously…

_Edward was staring directly at me, his eyes glowing silver in the night._

_I did the only thing I could think of._

_I screamed._

* * *

I didn't know where I was going, only that I was running through blackness. There were tears flowing from my eyes, causing the darkness to blur. _Crunch, snap, crunch, thud._ My mind was wild, the image of Edward burned into my retinas. I ran through the brush, not knowing which direction I was going. I didn't know if I was running towards the school or away, and I didn't care. My breathing was ragged and I think at one point I even forgot how to breathe in general.

"Run, run, run," I chanted to myself. I had to get away from what I had seen. I had to hide. I couldn't let that _monster_ find me. I had let those hands, those _claws_, touch me. I choked out another cry as I tripped over a mound of snow, falling to my knees. Stumbling, I scrambled to get on my feet, finding myself unsuccessful to plant my boots flat on the snow. My hair was falling out of my hair tie, falling in front of my face.

When I was finally able to lurch forward once again, I froze. I could hear people running through the snow; more than one set of footsteps. I glanced behind me just once, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't see anyone, but I could hear them getting closer. The first thing that crossed my mind was to _hide_. So I threw my body to the right, completely emerging myself behind a bush covered in snow.

My hiding spot was small, but I fit perfectly. The bush was directly next to a tree, so I pressed my back against the bark and waited. I couldn't see the trail I had come off of, and I wasn't able to see anyone coming. The footsteps were coming closer, and I pressed my face down into my knees. I pressed my fist against my mouth, holding back the scream that was building up.

The footsteps never actually passed by my hiding spot, but seemed to veer off the path into a new direction. Did they not hear my heartbeat? Maybe not over the sound of their feet running through the snow.

I was trembling in fear. I kept my eyes pressed shut, the tears continuing to pour. What had just happened? What happened to Edward?

_Don't run, Bella!_

I choked back another scream as the voice entered my mind. It was the same voice as before; not my own. They were looking for me. I had seen something I was not supposed to see. Edward was… a bird? Is that what he was? My mind flashed to the hawk picture on the outside of Edward's bedroom door and I thought of how much he had looked like the creature. The way his fingernails darkened and pointed into sharp talons. The way his eyes glowed in the darkness, and the way the feathers formed wings on his back. He looked almost elegant in the night, the moonlight reflecting off of the snow and hitting him ever so gracefully.

_No,_ I thought, _I can't think that way. He's a monster. Not a graceful animal._

The air around me was cold, and it slowly seeped its way through my clothes and into my bones. I clenched my jaw shut so that my chattering teeth wouldn't make a noise, afraid that someone would hear me.

The seconds that I hid behind that bush slowly turned into minutes, and then the minutes became countless. I was losing track of time, so intent on paying attention to the noises around me. I could hear the bare branches move gently in the breeze, and bits of snow fall to the ground as it settled. There were no other sounds, no other indications that there was anything in the forest besides me. No animals, no rustling in the brush as something scourged for food. Nothing.

It must have been an hour later that I finally moved my fist from my mouth and opened my eyes. Small florescent spots danced in my sight as I adjusted to my surroundings, and I could see my breath fog in front of me. I didn't know who had been running through the forest looking for me, but they had to have given up their search. What would I do now? Should I go back to campus and act like I hadn't seen anything? Should I run for town, look for help? Should I go back to Forks?

No, I couldn't do anything but go back to school. My limbs were close to frozen, and I had lost feeling in my fingers and toes. If I tried to stay out any longer I would most definitely hurt myself in the long run.

But I doubted myself. I wasn't sure if I had the courage to go back to school and climb those steps to my bedroom. I wasn't sure if I had the ability to continue on like I hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. I doubted my ability to look at Edward without screaming.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't see the hand fall past my eyes and clamp over my mouth.

I breathed in through my nose and screamed as loud as I could with the constraint over my mouth. I could feel my heart stop and start again, three times as fast as it was to begin with. I reached upwards and grabbed onto the arm that was attached to the hand and tried to dig my short nails into the fabric of the jacket. I felt the person step forward and wrap their arm over my chest, lifting me off of the ground. I continued to scream, my eyes erratic as I looked around.

"Bella, be calm." The voice was familiar, but my mind was in a panic and my brain wouldn't register who it was. I reached up with my left hand and clawed at the fingers that were digging into my skin, but I couldn't pry them lose. The man holding me was _strong_.

And just like that the hand dropped from my lips and I was spinning around on my feet. But before I could lose my balance and face plant into the snow, two hands grasped me on my shoulders, and I was looking into glowing hazel eyes. The urge to scream escaped me completely as I stared into Jasper's calm face.

"Bella, be _calm_," he repeated. And this time, as I stared into his eyes, I listened. A trickle of warmth touched the top of my frozen scalp and flowed downwards. I didn't have time to contemplate what was happening to me as the warmth spread down my face and into my chest, through my arms and down my legs. The sudden sense of calm enveloped me, giving me the feeling of lying in a warm bath.

As Jasper stared at me, I swore I could hear his words in my mind. They didn't echo like the other voice always did, but I could sense his urgency to be calm. Almost like a chant, he was telling me to be calm, to accept the feeling that took control of me and go with it. I no longer had the urge to scream, but instead was lost in the hazel wonders of Jasper's eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. I felt my head nod and I wanted to tell myself to stop. But I was agreeing so naturally. I felt a crazy calm in my chest, and I was going along with whatever he said. The voice in the back of my head was questioning it though. Not in a scared way, but in a way that I kept second guessing everything I was doing.

"Okay," Jasper whispered to me, "we're going to head back to the school now. We're going to walk, not run, and head directly to your bedroom. Okay?" I nodded. He gave me a smile, his eyes still glowing slightly.

"I don't want you to talk to anyone. If anyone speaks to you, I'll speak instead. Is this clear?" Again, I nodded. Then I felt Jasper's hand rest on my back, and we were walking.

I wasn't able to see the path in front of us, and trusted Jasper to lead the way. The calm warmth never left me, and I could hear a soft humming sound in my ears. Slowly my heart fell into a rhythm that only existed when I was sleeping. I listened to the sound of snow crunching under our feet, wondering how far from the school we were. But I didn't ask, I didn't dare speak. Because I would go against what Jasper told me to do. Something in my head was telling me to listen to Jasper, don't dare go against what he told me to do.

Jasper led me directly to the school grounds, and I saw that all of the lights on campus were off. I opened my mouth to ask him where were going exactly, but my voice wouldn't come out. Jasper pulled me towards my building and directly up the stairs. I held my breath as he opened the front door, and I walked in before him. I didn't know what was happening, and I didn't know exactly where we were going. Downstairs? The bedroom? Would Edward be there?

My heart skipped and I could feel it speed up.

"No, stay calm," Jasper whispered in my ear as I stepped through the foyer. Instantly I felt the calm seep back into me, and I nodded. I looked to my left and saw that the living room area was occupied. All of my roommates were sitting around the fire, talking quietly. Rosalie and Alice looked up when they saw us walk past, and I could see the panic in Alice's eyes. She was the only one who knew anything was out of the ordinary, and I wanted so badly to tell her to run. To tell her to help me.

"Calm," Jasper repeated quietly in my ear. And I did. Alice's eyes widened slightly when she saw Jasper lean in to whisper to me, and I nodded once again.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice asked. I didn't even bother to open my mouth to answer, because Jasper had told me not to speak. Instead I waited for him to talk. He didn't disappoint.

"Oh, Bella is fine. We're just going to go upstairs and have a little talk with the Director." The only ones who looked at us odd were Alice and Rosalie. The other girls just nodded and went back to their activities of reading and talking. But I met Alice's eyes and I tried hard to tell her what I wanted to. I tried to tell her with my eyes to run, to get help. But I knew that my eyes didn't widen in fear, didn't glaze over with tears. Instead I gave them all a small smile, barely feeling it grace my lips, and I was being pulled up the stairs. I glanced behind me once more and met Alice's eyes again. She knew something was wrong, I could tell. She was half out of her seat and pulling at Rosalie's sleeve. I was suddenly wishing we had told someone else about what was happening. Maybe Alice would break the promise of keeping it a secret and tell Rosalie. Rose was a strong minded person, and she would know what to do.

"Everything is going to be fine," Jasper whispered to me as we reached the top of the stairs. I didn't respond, only walked with him to my bedroom door. I glanced at it briefly before Jasper turned the knob and pushed it open. I wanted so badly to close my eyes and refuse to look at anything in the confines of that room. I wanted badly to scream out for Alice to help me. But instead I let my eyes rake over the people inside.

Carlisle was standing next to the window, glancing out at the school grounds. Most likely he had seen us approach. Standing next to him was a man I had never seen before. He stood well over six feet tall, almost hovering over Carlisle. His hair was black, as dark as ink. When he looked at me I saw that his eyes were the same, and they examined me as if he were looking at a piece of art to put in his home.

And dear Edward was sitting on my bed, face in a notebook. The notebook that had been hidden under my mattress. The one Alice and I had used to talk when others were in the room. Therefore he knew what we were up to.

My heart started to beat fast again, and I could feel blood rushing to my head. Edward's head snapped up and his grey eyes connected to mine right away. Again my mind flashed to how he looked in the forest- eyes glowing, fingernails dark and wings sticking out. He looked so normal sitting here, but I knew better. And my body was reacting to that fact.

"Calm, Bella," Jasper said to me. But I shook my head, the fear coursing through my veins. I pushed away the calm feeling that was being forced upon me. I didn't let it get any further than the warm touch on the top of my head.

"Bella, please stay calm." It was Carlisle who spoke this time, and I tore my eyes away from Edward long enough to look the man directly in the eye.

"No," I spat at him. I could feel Jasper's hand press into my lower back, and the warm feeling tried to pry into my senses. But I wouldn't let it happen. "No, I _won't_ be calm!" Edward set the notebook to the side and stood, his eyes directly on me. I took a step back, pressing into Jasper who was blocking my escape.

"I want an explanation," I said. Again, eyes turned to Carlisle. I wanted to scream at the fact no one did anything in this damn school without an 'okay' from that man. Even now, when we were discussing something so abnormal, they wanted permission from him to speak.

"Stop looking at him!" I screamed. Edward's eyes were wide in shock at my words. "I want an explanation!" Carlisle stepped forward, stopping a few feet from me.

"Bella, we will explain. But you need to remain calm. I will not tolerate any screaming, and that will only occur in unnecessary involvement from the other students."

I scoffed at him. "Really? No screaming? Or what?" Carlisle's posture straightened slightly and I gasped when his eyes began to glow. _Listen to the man, Bella_. I nodded immediately at the voice in my head. After all, the voice was becoming my little guide.

"Have a seat," Carlisle pointed to Dee's bed which was directly next to mine. Sitting in front of Edward proved to be more difficult than I thought. My feet unconsciously started faltering in their steps and I all but fell onto the mattress. Jasper stood behind me, almost like a protector, as Edward sat back on my bed and picked up the notebook he had been examining. The black haired stranger still stood next to the window, looking at me in… amazement? I narrowed my eyes at him and my word vomit got the best of me.

"Who are you?" I asked. He smirked at me, which only fueled my anger more.

"I am Alexander." His voice was smooth and dared to lure me into a false sense of safety. _Alexander… he's the one Edward mentioned in his journal. He sensed a change._

"What do you know?" Edward whispered. I looked at him and rolled those words around in my mind for a moment. I could lie… I could tell them I only knew what I saw in the forest. But staring at the notebook, I saw (with my perfect fucking vision) that the page was indeed open to the page where Alice and I had been talking about our plan of attack. They knew I knew too much. And they knew that Alice was in on it as well. Would something happen to her? Would they harm her for me involving her?

"What are you?" I whispered. I directed the question to everyone in the room, but I was looking at Edward. He opened his mouth to speak, but Carlisle stepped forward, holding his hand up as if to tell him not to talk.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I snapped at Carlisle. He looked shocked that I would speak to him that way, but I was done playing the victim. I stood so quickly that I caught them all off guard, and I was rushing across the room before they could reach out to stop me. I pressed my back against the closet door and glared at them all. I felt so caged in. Four grown men staring at me as if I were a piece of art in a museum. I wanted so badly to tell this Alexander gentleman to stop looking at me that way, but instead I was forcing myself to be calm. I didn't need Jasper to tell me to remain this way; I could do it on my own.

"I want to know what you're doing to me," I started again. "I want to know who you are, _what _you are. I want to know what transformation you _think_ I _might_ be going under, and I want to know now." No one moved and I could feel my hands shake. They were all just staring at each other.

"Answer me!" I screamed. I didn't care that there were other people in the building. I didn't care if they were sleeping. I didn't care that my roommates were downstairs and could probably hear my screaming.

And just like that there was a knock on the door. Jasper moved to answer it, and when I looked at him I could feel the warm calm enter me again. But I refused to let it take me over. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and made sure I was collected before I opened them again.

"Is everything okay?" My head snapped towards the door when I recognized Rosalie's voice. _No, Rose, go back downstairs_. I could almost hear the smile on Jasper's face as he consoled her.

"Of course. We're just having a session, and I know you guys are all tired of being downstairs. We shouldn't be much longer and you can all go to bed then." His voice was so smooth, that had I not been standing behind him in the midst of all the insanity, I would have turned around and walked downstairs with a fucking smile on my face.

"Yeah, sure," Rosalie whispered. I could hear her walk down the hall and then down the stairs. I wanted to scream out for help, but I knew that it would get me nowhere. So instead I pressed my back against the closet door even more, letting the door knob press into my spine. Jasper closed the door and returned to the exact spot he had been in before. I was still being watched carefully, I could see how their eyes moved with me, with every breath I took.

"I want to know," I repeated. Carlisle nodded and stepped forward, holding out his hand. Did he expect me to take it? I stared at it like it held all of the worlds' germs on its surface and shook my head.

"Bella, if you'll have a seat, we'll explain." Honesty radiated from his voice and I felt as if I had no other choice to believe him. But I didn't want to take his hand, so I sidestepped him and went back to my spot on Dee's bed. Edward tensed as he watched me, and I only narrowed my eyes at him. I wanted him to feel the anger I felt. I wanted him to fucking understand what was going on in my head.

"What are you?" I asked again. Edward took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Silence. All of them were silent. Slowly I started to count to ten in my mind. And then _I_ opened _my_ mouth to talk.

"You won't tell me? That's fine. Then I'll tell _you_ what _I_ know." I stood again so that I could see all of them, because Jasper still thought the best place for him to be was behind me so I couldn't see him. Facing them all, I felt the confidence build inside of me. The weeks of frustration when I didn't know what was going on, and I didn't know if I was losing my mind started to crash down on me. All of the thoughts that I had for Edward started to pile on top of that, and all of the frustrated words started to flow out.

"From what I've gathered, you're what you call a 'Ganduri', which actually means nothing to me." I paused for a second while I took in everyone's expressions. When Carlisle exchanged a look with Alexander, I knew I was going along the right track. Edward and Jasper, though, didn't seem surprised that I knew the term 'Ganduri'. I took a deep breath and continued.

"I saw Edward in the woods tonight, and I know you saw me." I directed my statement to Edward and he nodded once. "I don't know what you are, but I know what I saw. Your eyes were glowing, and you had _claws_ or something. You had wings." I swallowed hard, forcing the bile down my throat again as I remembered the way Edward worked some kind of kink out of his neck, the wings on his back disappearing into his back.

"I've seen you all," I said. "I've seen your eyes glow. And I know you can hear my heartbeat." Again, I waited for some kind of reaction. Alexander was the only one who was moving, and he was gradually looking more livid at each sentence I spoke.

"What's happened to my eyes?" I asked. I didn't expect an answer, and I didn't wait for one. I took a step back, wishing the door to the closet was open so I could hide in its depths. "I know you've been slipping me something in my food. Dosages of something, though I don't know what. I don't know what transformation you expect me to go under, but I have the sinking feeling that you're trying to turn me into one of _you_." I spat the word out like it was dirt. "Oh, and you might want to be careful when it comes to the whole vision thing," I added. "The look Dr. Dresely was giving me every time I went in made me think he was curious as to what was going on."

"You seem to know a lot," Carlisle said calmly.

"Indeed!" Alexander yelled. He was visibly shaking with anger, and I wondered what part he played in all of this.

"Please have a seat," Carlisle said to me. I glanced at Jasper and shook my head.

"Only if he doesn't stand behind me. I want to see you all." Jasper let out a low laugh and moved to stand behind Edward instead. I took my place back on Dee's bed and was at least somewhat pleased that I could have this conversation staring at all of them.

"How did you come to know all of this?" Alexander asked me. I straightened my shoulders and looked directly at Edward.

"I know how to read, how to listen, and how to see." Really, it was pure coincidence that I had been in Edward's closet that first time and heard everything. Carlisle looked over at Edward and nodded once; Edward himself seemed ashamed.

"I was in your closet the other night when you and Carlisle were talking about my transformation and about dosages of some sort," I said to Edward. His skin paled as he looked up at Carlisle. "I was outside of your building when you and Carlisle my fucking heartbeat! And all I had to do was look out of that window right there to see you, Jasper, and Carlisle fighting over something! I watched all of your eyes glow."

"So you know some of the basics, but you need to know _why,_" Jasper said gently. So I waited for the explanation. Carlisle looked around the room, pointedly making eye contact with each of the others. Edward stood, and the four men immediately removed their jackets and shirts. My face heated up, and I was in shock that they were all _stripping _in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I gasped. I averted my eyes, clamping my hands together in my lap. I peeked out from the corner of my eye and saw that all of them were standing there, eyes closed. I held my breath as I watched them, wondering what on earth they could be doing.

And then the unbelievable happened. One by one, all of their shoulders hunched forward and their hands curled into fists. I looked at Edward and saw that his nails were growing darker, growing longer within seconds. And when he opened his eyes, I knew that there would be wings on his back. My heart was pounding as I looked at Alexander and then Jasper. Both of them were staring at me, eyes glowing, nails shaped into talons. Looking at Carlisle, my mouth dropped open when I saw that his nails were not black, but a golden color. The surface almost glowed as bright as his eyes. One thing that I knew was that if they all turned around, they would have bird-like wings extending from their backs.

"We are Ganduri's," Carlisle said to me. "Our kind has been around for as long as man has existed. The only people who know that we exist are our own." I didn't say a word; I just stared. All I could think was that this was not happening; this wasn't real. It didn't matter how many times I blinked my eyes though, the four of them were still there.

"Bella?" My head snapped towards the voice and I was met with Edward's stare. Now that he was closer to me than in the forest, I could see details that I had missed. His shoulders looked slightly broader than before, and I could see his wings protruding from his back at an angle. His eyes were alive with light, almost begging me for an answer. He was… beautiful, I dare say.

"Are you trying to turn me into one of you?" I whispered. Carlisle looked at the others, and without a word, they all closed their eyes and within a minute the wings were gone and their eyes were back to normal. They all shoved their shirts back over their heads and shoved their arms through their jackets. Edward took his place on my bed, but this time Carlisle sat next to him. Jasper and Alexander leaned against the wall behind them, eyes on me.

"You seem to be more educated in this matter than I would like," Carlisle said to me, glancing at Edward, "so I no longer find the need to keep anything from you. Normally we would slowly emerge you into the facts, but I suppose this isn't a normal case." Carlisle's Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed, and I wondered what he meant by his statement.

"What exactly is a Ganduri?" I asked. "That is the best place to start." Carlisle nodded and gave me a small smile.

"You can call us mythical, a story you heard once upon a time," Carlisle said softly, "but that's far from the case. To put it loosely, we take on the characteristics of predatory birds. Hawks, eagles, vultures… you get the idea. There are not many, but when we find each other we try to stay together. Let's just say we work best in teams."

"So you're half man, half bird," I interrupted. Jasper let out a low laugh, followed by Alexander.

"I suppose you can look at it that way," Jasper said softly. I just nodded, in some kind of stupor. Carlisle nodded at me and continued.

"When we find a Ganduri we have to help him through his transformation. Years ago a serum was made for such a purpose, and it is to be ingested through food or drink. Without the serum they will not transform. Finding a fellow Ganduri is difficult as well, as they are rare."

"How do you find them?" I asked. I was curious, and it was obvious. I caught myself leaning forward slightly, hanging on every word that was spoken.

"When one Ganduri touches another, we feel this kind of heat burn through us. Almost like an electric current," Edward explained. "When I touched you accidentally on your first day of class I felt that heat. To sum it up, after a little bit of research and whatnot, we realized that you were also a Ganduri."

"Which is why you started giving me food with this serum in it," I mumbled. Everyone nodded, giving me different types of smiles. Edward, though, was still looking torn. As if he wanted to tell me something else. I cocked my head to the side and waited, but he didn't say anything.

"What's with my eyes?" I asked. But as Carlisle opened his mouth to answer, Jasper interrupted.

"We should continue this at the main house. The other girls should get to sleep." I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that we had been in here for over an hour. The others must be downstairs either worried or pissed off. Or in Alice's case, anxious as hell. She knew something was still going on, but I didn't know what I was able to tell her at that time. Part of me didn't even need to ask the others; this was going to be something I would be demanded to keep secret. Could that be something I could do to her though?

I stood and started walking to the door, the four men following me close behind. No one found the need to hold on to my arm, which I was glad to see. Apparently I was no longer a flight risk.

When we reached the first floor, I peeked into the living room and saw that all five of them were sound asleep, spread around the couches and chairs in what looked to be uncomfortable positions. I walked over to Alice and shook her shoulder, feeling eyes on the back of my head. I knew they were listening to hear if I said anything to her. Alice's eyes opened slowly, and when she saw me so close to her she jumped up and grabbed me in a hug.

"Bella! What's goi…" her voice trailed off when she looked behind me though. I peeked over my shoulder and saw that all four of them were lined up near the door, staring at us with grim faces. I wanted to laugh because they looked like they were there for my protection. Alice's eyes were wide when she looked back at me and she lifted her eyebrows in question. I shook my head and put my hand on her cheek.

"Everything is fine, Alice. I promise. I'm heading over to the Director's house for a little bit to sort some things out, and I'll be back later." Alice's head started to shake back and forth frantically but I opened my eyes wider and gave her a look that I hoped conveyed my message: _later, Alice._

"Okay," Alice whispered.

"Help me wake them up so you can go upstairs." Alice and I woke the others and I watched as they all glanced at me and then at the four guys by the door in question. I smiled the same smile I gave Alice and waved at them as they walked up the stairs. When I heard the door close I turned to Edward and nodded.

"Let's go." It didn't take long for us to get to the main house now that there were pathways in the snow, and when Jasper held the door open for me I almost wanted to run into the forest to hide. It was a pointless thought because these four could probably see through the darkness and would be able to hear any noise I made. I wasn't a hundred percent sure why I was having these thoughts, but I knew that once I stepped through that doorway, there would be no one to help me if something went wrong. At least in my bedroom there were twenty other girls in the building that would hear me scream. I took a deep breath, and instead of running I smiled at Jasper and thanked him for holding the door open for me. Walking into the warmth of the building seemed to calm me, and I headed directly for one of loveseats. Like I thought, the guys sat around me, kind of forming a circle.

"I think it will be more private if we continue this here," Jasper said to me, and I nodded. I was trying to understand, really I was. Especially if I was part of this group now. As I removed my jacket and threw it over the arm of the couch I bit my lip as I thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Carlisle asked me. I looked at him, amazed that he was calling me out.

"Um… well, I was actually wondering if I had a choice in all of this," I said. I figured I might as well be honest in my thoughts; it was the only way I was going to get answers to the questions that plagued both my and Alice's minds over the past few days. "From what I gather, the serum is what changed my eyesight to where I don't need contacts anymore. If I stop taking the serum, will it all go back to the way it was?"

"Wait a second," Edward interrupted my question. I glanced at him and swallowed hard... he looked _pissed_. "You said your vision went back to the way it was. That you were using your contacts again." I sighed and gave him a small smile.

"Sorry, I lied." His eyebrows shot up and he looked genuinely surprised. I shrugged, figuring that I hadn't hurt anything by protecting myself. "The way you acted towards me on the staircase was uncalled for, and when you threw the whole 'how are your eyes' thing, it pissed me off. So I lied." Edward nodded, but didn't question it any further.

"So your eyes have completed the change?" Alexander asked me. Again with the amazement in his eyes.

"If you mean that I no longer need contacts, and that I can see better than I ever had before, then yes." I knew I was snippy, but I didn't care. "I can see cracks in the walls that I shouldn't be able to see. I can see the slight indent in the wood of that picture frame." I pointed to a picture of Carlisle with Esme that sat on the fireplace mantel. The dent in the wood was actually bothering me, and I had to look away from it almost immediately. I found myself looking at Alexander. He seemed to be the one who showed his true emotions on his face. And right now he looked… shocked.

"Magnificent," he muttered; I shrugged.

"Perfect eyesight, or rather better than perfect, is part of the package," Jasper said softly. Every time he spoke I felt a calm wave rush over me.

"What's with the mood changing?" I blurted out. Jasper smiled at me and sat up straight.

"That would be my perk," he said. "I have the ability to calm people or make them happy. Nothing negative, like throwing anger at others, but I can stop a war if I try hard enough." My eyes were wide as I felt the now familiar sensation drift through me. I nodded, now the one amazed.

"So can you all do this?" I asked. Carlisle laughed and shook his head.

"No, not all of us have gifts like Jasper here. Alexander can sense when change comes." I remembered then how they had spoken about that in Edward's room. I looked at Edward and Carlisle.

"What can you do? What will I have?" Carlisle held up his hand and laughed.

"Calm down. Edward and I weren't blessed with abilities like those two. It's _very_ rare that Ganduri's hold powers besides the normal. I've only heard of a handful, and I can't guarantee that you will have any." I sighed, not all that disappointed. My eyes drifted back to the picture of Carlisle and Esme, and back to that horrible indentation.

"Wait a second," I said, "where's Esme? Isn't she one of you?" Everyone looked back to Carlisle at that, and I waited impatiently for an answer.

"No, Esme is not a Ganduri. She does know about us, but she is not one of us."

"Can't you make her one of you?" With that question everyone sat back and again left the answer to Carlisle. Why was everyone suddenly scared to answer my fucking questions?

"Carlisle?" I prompted. He cleared his throat and looked me straight in the eyes.

"There's never been a female Ganduri before." And then there was silence. I let that statement sink in for a moment, rolling it around in my head. What did that mean? Were there just a bunch of men wandering around the world, half man half bird?

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"For the many years that our kind has been around, there has never been a female. Always men." Then I asked the most obvious question.

"Well, don't you think you have it wrong then?" Alexander opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately silenced by a look from Carlisle.

"No one ever questioned it before, the fact that there were only men," he said. "But in the year 172 A.D. there was a Ganduri with the ability of seeing flashes of the future. Everything he ever predicted came true at one point or another. In that year he saw a vision of a female Ganduri. Since that vision others have searched high and low, hoping to come across her and bring her to their team."

"What makes this female so important?" I asked. My heart was pounding, and I was scared. I didn't want to believe what Carlisle was telling me, but I couldn't deny what my eyes had showed me.

"The female that was seen had more power than anyone had ever seen. Her wings were bright silver, and was immortal." A loud laugh echoed through the room, and it took me several seconds to realize that it was me who was laughing.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I yelled. But Alexander shot to his feet within a second and with two strides he was in front of me. His eyes were a bottomless black pit, and I found that my laughter died on my lips. My heart was surely beating through my chest as I shrunk back into the couch in fear, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Alexander.

"My dear child," he said, his voice dripping with the same damn amazement I had seen in his eyes all night. "What he is telling you is the truth." I started to shake my head, wanting to deny the entire thing, but Alexander's hand came up to touch my cheek. His touch was warm and electrifying.

"It is, Isabella. It's all the truth. You are one of us, and you are going through the quickest transformation I have ever seen. It should be months before your vision changes that quickly, and you amaze us by completing it in just weeks."

"Are all of you immortal?" I asked when Alexander let go of my cheek. Everyone shook their heads and this time Jasper was the calming voice to infiltrate my sporadic thoughts.

"Ganduri's age like humans until they reach around thirty five years old or so," he said, "and then we stop. We live roughly a thousand years before we die." Silence. I knew they were waiting for me to react, but I swallowed down my panic and asked the first question that came to mind.

"Well, how old are all of you?" My voice was wavering, and I knew I was close to a breakdown.

"We can discuss that another time," Carlisle said soothingly. But I ignored his attempt at calming me and repeated myself.

"How old are all of you!?" My eyes immediately fell on Edward and I felt nauseas. I had been so hesitant about acting on my feelings when I thought he was twenty two. I was now criticizing everything about him, down to his fucking worry lines in his forehead. Was he as old as he said he was?

"I'm twenty two," Edward whispered. He knew what I was thinking, and I was glad that he eased my worry. I let out the breath I was holding and smiled at him.

"I'm twenty seven," Jasper said.

"Two hundred and thirteen," Alexander said with a smile. My mouth dropped open as I let my eyes openly look at him. He didn't look a day over thirty. I turned to Carlisle then, awaiting his answer.

"About seven hundred," he finally said. I stood then, walking towards the wall so I could hide my face. There was no way that man was seven hundred years old. No _fucking_ way.

"About?" I asked, my back still turned to them.

"Back then we didn't keep track of our birthing dates. When I say about, it means a ten year gap or so. If I had to nail down a year, I would say seven hundred and five." I turned back to the others, tears in my eyes.

"Will I live that long?" I asked. Carlisle didn't seem sure of himself as he answered.

"If everything falls along with the prophecy, then yes. Most likely a lot longer. It's one of those wait it out and see kind of things." I laughed at that, brushing my hands across my eyes.

"How do you complete the transformation?" I asked.

"There's a ceremonial spell that Carlisle has to go through," Jasper explained. "I'll be honest, what you have been through is nothing compared to the first time something comes protruding out of your back." He laughed, but no one joined in. He didn't seem bothered by this.

"Do I have a choice in all of this?" Carlisle looked at me and nodded. Maybe I could just go back to the way things were and forget all of this happened.

"Yes, you have a choice," Carlisle said softly, "but I recommend that you go through with it."

"Why?" I pressed my back against the wall, not quite ready to sit back on the couch.

"Because if any other of the Ganduri's catch wind of a female, they will be after you." Jasper's statement cut into me and I met his gaze.

"After me?" I asked him. Jasper nodded and cracked the knuckles in his right hand.

"Honestly, not all of the Ganduri's out there are _good_, if you know what I mean. I know we're not exactly giving you much choice in all of this, but you will still be free. Other groups could force you to do things you don't want to do, and use your powers against others. It's better for you to be part of something that isn't as dangerous." Jasper's eyes cut into me and I found myself nodding.

"But there isn't anything special about me," I said.

"It may not seem like that," Edward said, "but once you're finished with the transformation, you will see all of the possibilities. It won't just be perfect vision, it will be the ability to fly, to see through the dark, extraordinary hearing. Things you wouldn't believe!"

"It's not a car, Edward. You don't have to sell me on it," I laughed. "Although I could get used to this whole rubber band vision thing, if only I could figure out how it works." I sighed and made my way back to my couch and fell into the cushion, looking back up at the others. I froze though, seeing each of them staring at me in confusion.

"What?" I asked. It was unnerving, having all of them look at me like I was crazy. Especially when _they _were the ones with fucking _wings_ coming out of their backs.

"Rubber band vision?" Jasper asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "You know, when it's like looking through a telescope or something. My vision zooms forward, and it's like I'm suddenly able to see up to a couple hundred feet away. It snaps back like a rubber band." Edward stared at me with one eyebrow arched. He looked over at Carlisle and they seemed to have a silent conversation. When he looked back at me he looked genuinely confused.

"I guess we know her extra ability," Alexander said. I cocked my head slightly, not understanding what he meant.

"I don't understand, don't you all have that too?" They all shook their heads 'no'.

"How often does it occur?" Carlisle asked, genuinely curious. I thought back to all the times my vision snapped.

"Well the first time it happened was on that first day of class, when I was on that totem pole thing that we had to jump off of." I looked over at Edward and pointed my finger at him. "Which by the way was insane. How is jumping off a thirty foot tall ledge supposed to help me?" Jasper laughed and Edward smiled, which made me feel more… normal?

"And after that?" Carlisle pressed.

"Well… the time down by the river when Madie fell in. And in your room when I was in the closet. And again when Al… when I was going into your room the other night. And again when I was in my bedroom when the three of you," I pointed to Jasper, Edward and Carlisle, "were outside arguing. I mean, it's happened more times than that, I dunno."

"Can you make it snap on command?" Alexander asked me. He sounded so excited, which only confused me more.

"No, I don't think so. Then again I never tried… wait, what the hell is going on? You're saying I'm the only one out of us to have this?" Carlisle started to smile, nodding his head.

"But wait," Edward said, staring at me curiously. "She said she experienced this for the first time the first day in class when she was on the pole. How is that possible? We didn't start giving her the serum yet. She hadn't started with the transformation." The room settled into silence as they thought about this until Carlisle looked at me again.

"How is it possible to undergo changes before we do anything? How is that possible?" Alexander asked Carlisle. I had made the quick deduction that Carlisle was the leader of this little group, if not because of his age than because of his ability to keep his head calm. The others, including Jasper, were staring at me as if I would suddenly start doing back flips or grow an extra limb. I was a damn circus show freak. Carlisle, though, was looking at me in awe, a look that he had apparently mastered from Alexander.

"Well it seems like we have some research to do." I thought for a second and decided I needed to be honest.

"While you're at it," I whispered, "look up why I'm hearing a voice in my head."

"A _voice_?" Alexander asked me. I nodded, clenching my hands into fists. I was going to sound like a lunatic, I was sure of it.

"Yeah, I've been hearing this voice in my head since I came here. It's a man's voice, telling me certian things. Almost like my conscience."

"What does this voice tell you?" Edward asked me gently. I rolled my eyes, trying so hard not to snap at him.

"Things." Vague much? "Like just in the woods it told me not to run." Edward's face paled and I glanced at him in wonder.

"Okay," Carlisle said with a sigh. "We have a lot of work to do." But Edward raised his hand and shook his head.

"No, don't worry about the voice." Everyone looked at him in shock, and I felt anger boil up in me. Did he think I was faking it? That I was lying?

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I demanded.

"Edward, now I think you need to step back for a second," Carlisle said at the same time.

"Don't worry about the voice, because it's me," Edward said quietly.

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**Haha I'm crap, I know. I left another little thing hanging. But I won't leave you all for as long as I did last time, I promise. I'll start on the next chapter tomorrow morning when I wake up and I'll throw it at you ASAP! I love you all so much, I love your reviews and my little e-mails telling me someone liked my story.**

**So what do you think is going to happen now? Bella seems to accept some of the things that will come with being a Ganduri, but will she accept living for a thousand years? What will she say to this voice in her head being Edward? How does that even work? On the next episode of Silver Bay, we will find out ;-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone! As an 'I'm sorry' for the lack of updates before, I'm trying to put up more chapters faster. This chapter won't be as long as the other ones, but it's filling in some things that needed to be said. **

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a bright orange umbrella. It's awesome, because when I walk outside where it's all white from the snow, I look like someone who's wearing the bright orange vest while hunting. It's great, really (note sarcasm).**

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"_What_?" I found myself asking. Everyone looked like they wanted to say the same thing as we all stared at Edward. How in the world could the voice in my head be _him_? Edward looked worried, glancing at Carlisle as if the man would suddenly reprimand him for telling the truth. I realized then that when Edward was around the others, he wasn't as confident as he was when it had been just the two of us. I made a mental note that if he and I ever fell back into a relationship with each other, friend or more, to ask him about that.

"Well," Edward said, "at least I _think_ it's me. What exactly did the voice tell you when you were in the forest? Exact words." I didn't speak though. I was still staring at Edward as if he had lost his mind.

_What else do you expect? Do you think the voice is something your mind made up? Wouldn't that make you a schizophrenic?_ I thought. I glanced around at the men surrounding me and saw how they all looked anxious. Of course, I felt like a science project on display.

I closed my eyes and I thought about it, recalling the voice and how it echoed in my mind, almost soothing me.

"It said 'don't run'," I muttered to myself. That was it, right?

"No," Edward countered, "it said 'don't run, _Bella'_." My mouth dropped open for the hundredth time that night as I nodded.

"How long have you been hearing Edward's voice in your head?" Carlisle asked me. Greeeaaaat… a nice shrink question. I shook my head, not quite sure of the answer.

"I didn't know it was Edward," I said. "But if I had to guess on a time frame, I'd say close to since I started school here."

"What else have you heard?" Jasper asked me. Carlisle pointed to Edward and looked stern.

"You need to be honest and let us know if it is your words that Bella is repeating." Edward nodded and again all four of the men were staring at me. This was un-fucking-believable.

"There's no way that Edward can be the person saying these things," I stated. "There's no way. It's not possible."

"Amuse us," Alexander said. I shook my head and thought back to all the times I had heard the voice speak to me. It was hard, because I had eventually just accepted the voice and expected it to speak to me on occasion.

"Um," I stammered, "the time that my parents came and threatened to take me, the voice said 'no, don't go'… and it sounded really alarmed." I glanced over to Edward and saw that he was nodding.

"When her dad said he was taking her home, I remember thinking 'no', and I remember wanting to scream it." Edward looked at me and his eyebrows met in a straight line. "By the way, your dad is an ass." I laughed at this, as did Jasper, but Carlisle just shook his head.

"Okay, any other time?" Carlisle asked me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on remembering. Had the voice really become such a part of me to where I couldn't remember the difference in it and my own thoughts?

"Well, I guess the first time I heard it was in the Rec Hall," I thought back to the day that I sat at that table having a staring contest with Edward and Carlisle. Even Alice had noticed the interaction between the three of us. I opened my eyes and looked between Edward and Carlisle quickly. "It was that day where you two were staring at me, holding some kind of conversation." The two had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.

"It was right before Edward pushed away from the wall and left, I heard—"

"_Finally_," Edward echoed my own voice. My eyes grew wide and I nodded to him. Did we need any other proof than this? Jasper stood and crossed his arms across his chest. His flippant demeanor seemed to disappear when Edward proved our strange connection, and the wheels in his head seemed to be turning.

"I've never heard of anything like this before," Jasper said to no one in particular.

"I agree," Carlisle said. He looked at me closely but seemed at a loss for an explanation. "But then again, Bella is one of a kind. There may be more to it all. I'll have to do some research." Again with the research, I thought. Was there some kind of Ganduri library downtown that I didn't know about?

The four men continued with their conversation, all of them speaking in hurried sentences and glancing at me every few minutes or so. I tried to ignore them, concentrating on a spot on the wall that meant absolutely nothing to me. My mind was in a blender, nothing making sense and everything jumbled around.

"How does it work?" I asked quietly, thinking of how Edward's voice infiltrated my mind at such odd times. They all looked at me and didn't even need to ask what I meant. Carlisle, of course, was the one to speak first.

"I'm not sure how it all works. As Jasper said, we've never heard of anything like this before. I wonder if it works both ways…" And that's where I lost Carlisle. His eyes were in a far off land, thinking of all the possibilities that could arise from this. Alexander looked at Edward, black eyes searching.

"Try it now," he demanded. My reaction was the same as Edward's, and we both stared at each other in shock. This was all on him, I realized. I was just the lunatic who heard this mystic voice in the confines of my mind.

"Go ahead," I muttered. He just shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I don't know how to," he said with a hint of exhaustion in his voice. I had no idea what time it was now, and I wondered if Alice would be waiting up for me to come back.

"Just do what you did in the Rec Hall that day," Jasper said; he looked so intrigued by this experiment.

"What do you want me to say?" Edward looked so lost.

"Just think of something, and Bella will either confirm or deny." I nodded, waiting for the voice to make its appearance. Edward sat back in his seat and stared at me. Normally I would feel uncomfortable, just staring at him in front of everyone like this, but I felt somewhat at ease. I wanted everything to be okay between the two of us, even after the insanity that was going on.

'_Are you ready to live forever?'_

The voice was clear, and now that I was ready for it, I could clearly see that it matched Edward's smooth voice. How could I have missed this before?

"I don't know," I whispered. Edward's eyes grew slightly wide, and Carlisle seemed to misunderstand what I was saying.

"Bella it's okay. Just open your mind and see if you can hear anything." I closed my eyes for a second and opened them, looking at Carlisle this time.

"No, I was answering the question I heard. The voice asked me if I was ready to live forever. I answered with 'I don't know'." Edward was grinning now, nodding his head.

"That's right, that's exactly right." Alexander was staring at me with that damn awed look again and I resisted rolling my eyes.

"Seems you two have some sort of connection," Jasper said, staring at me in an undecipherable look. My heart was pounding at that. A connection? Edward and I had a connection?

"Bella, I want you to try it on Edward," Jasper said sudden excitement. My face flooded with heat at this, although I didn't know why. _Get mind out of gutter_, I told myself.

"I don't know how," I whispered. I felt claustrophobic as all four men stood up and took a few steps towards me. Edward sat across from me on the coffee table, Carlisle right next to him. Jasper sat on the couch beside me, and Alexander stood to the side, awed gaze and all.

"Just concentrate and think of something to say," Alexander said. I rolled my eyes at him and felt like smacking him upside the head. Instead I stared at Edward and racked my mind for something to throw at him. I settled on telling him I liked his eyes, which again made me blush uncharacteristically, and sighed.

'_I like your eyes'_, I thought. I waited for something from Edward, but after a second of him not reacting I tried again. _'I like your eyes'._

The next five minutes went by like this, with me chanting the words over and over in my mind, almost screaming the words in my head.

"Okay, this isn't working," I finally said. I threw my hands up and leaned my head back on the cushion. "I know you guys think that because he can throw his words into my mind that I can do this same to him, but did you ever think that maybe because I'm not one of you yet that I can't?" I laughed at the looks on all of their faces; it was like a light clicked on in each of their heads.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Carlisle smiled. As they went back to discussing the abnormality that was Bella Swan, I sank back into the couch, wishing that Jasper would throw some of his calming vibes my way.

* * *

I was sitting on the dock, looking out over the half frozen lake. The sun had started to rise an hour ago, and now I was happily basking in the slight warmth it gave me.

After I was 'excused' from the meeting with the others, I decided that going to bed wasn't what I wanted to do. I was exhausted, yes, but there would be no way that my overactive mind would calm enough to let me sleep. I felt like an IV of caffeine had been inserted into my arm.

I didn't really ask permission from Carlisle if I could sit out on the dock; I more or less told him that was where I would be. He seemed to understand my need to be alone, and they all let me go with a look of worry on their faces. When I had made myself comfortable on the wooden planks of the dock, Edward had appeared with the blanket I had lent him that time we had spent outside. I wrapped it around my shoulders and eyed Edward warily.

"I'm not staying… unless you want me to," he said carefully. I nodded to him without even thinking about it. He seemed happy, though, as he sat next to me. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a few things, setting it down between us. I glanced down and sighed. He had set down a bottle of water and what looked to be a sandwich, wrapped in saran wrap.

"Serum?" My one worded question hung in the air for a few seconds before Edward responded.

"Yes. This is more like an acceptance test I suppose. Both the water and the sandwich have the serum. If you decide that you want nothing to do with us, which I don't recommend, than you don't eat or drink this." Edward's face turned in my direction, but I refused to look him in the eye. "It's your choice." I wanted to scoff. My choice… yeah right. They had inflicted all of this on me without any consent from me.

I only nodded though, letting my eyes become trained on the vast water before me. The questions I wanted to ask were on the tip of my tongue, but I bit them back. I wasn't sure if I wanted answers right at that moment. They would most likely scare me.

How had this all happened? How did this even exist? Could I actually stand becoming… one of _them_? I closed my eyes against the rising sun and pictured the line of men standing in front of me, wings growing from their backs and eyes glowing. Did I really want to become that kind of creature?

Unwillingly, my mind drifted to what I would be giving up if I decided to go along with this. I thought of my parents. My cold-hearted father who sent me here, and my helpless mother who went along with everything he told her to do. Would me going back home change anything? I remembered the bruises, the pain that he inflicted on me.

Ryan. His death brought me here. But his death was a result of what Charlie did to me. I ran, ran from my hell hole of a home to get help. Look where that led me.

"So, you guys help people?" I whispered. Edward's head whipped around as I spoke. I knew he was surprised that I even said anything, but I knew it would be one of those 'take what you can get' situations.

"Yeah, kind of," he said softly. "It's hard to run around and help people looking like a damn bird, so Carlisle set up the school in hopes that we can help this way." I laughed at the image of super hero birds, nodding at his statement. The school did seem to be helping a lot of the students. Giving them the opportunity to redeem themselves, instead of going to jail like criminals.

"So, after I… graduate?" I looked to Edward for confirmation, and he nodded. "I'd do what exactly?" Edward looked at me, smiling at my question.

"You'd most likely become a teacher here of some sort. Of course, you would have the choice. Alexander chooses not to be a teacher because he doesn't like dealing with kids, so instead he lives in town. He owns a bookstore, but spends a lot of time with Carlisle. You would have the choice of staying on campus, living off campus… or going your own way." I immediately realized that if I did this, I would not want to go my own way. At least not right away. The thought of being alone while going through this scared the shit out of me.

"No, I wouldn't want to be alone." Edward smiled at this.

"Do you truly believe I'm one of you?" I asked. Edward nodded.

"Without a doubt." I clenched the blanket around me, wishing that the remainder of the snow would melt away and the warm weather of spring would come sooner, rather than later. Silence settled between the two of us again as I let my mind wander.

In Forks, I had nothing to go back to. I could keep in touch with my mother, I suppose, but it was honestly not something that ranked high on my list of priorities. It was a horrible thing to think, I know.

My friends were nonexistent in my hometown. Yes, they had tried to talk to me when I was… comatose? But as the days wore on, their visits became few and far between, until they stopped altogether. Remembering the way they would all chatter on about pointless things, like dances and what they would do that weekend seemed asinine now. I felt hypocritical though, because at one point in time, their ramblings about what to do that weekend had included me as well. But now, now it all seemed to change. Even if I didn't go along with what was now happening to me, I would never be the same.

What would I do once school was over? Once I was allowed to leave, what would I do? Could I really turn my back on them all and walk away as if nothing had happened?

Was this really happening?

My mental list of pros and cons were slowly becoming pointless. In the distance I heard movement of students as they emerged from their buildings and headed toward the Rec Hall. There would be no way I could face my roommates right now. They would ask questions, questions that I didn't even know the answers to. Hell, I didn't even know what I was allowed to tell them and what I had to keep a secret. Most likely I would have to be silent about _everything_.

Edward sat quietly next to me, staring out over the water. I let my eyes trail over to him, his exceptional beauty stealing my breath away. My hand twitched beneath the blanket that held me in its cocoon, but I held it back.

I had to be honest with myself; now that I knew Edward wasn't an evil spawn coming after me… my stomach was back in knots around him. But my mind betrayed me, and I wondered if he liked me like that anymore. Did he only lead me along so that they could positive of my transformation? Was it all a lie?

I don't think I could handle that if it were true. Emotionally I think I would die. I had put so much trust in him, so soon after Ryan. I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking of the way Edward had soothed me when I cried, the way he had listened to me when I poured out my heart and soul. I thought of the way his lips blended to mine, and the way he held me as I slept. I thought of the way he pushed me against the tree and assaulted me in the most unbelievable way. I opened my eyes and saw that Edward was looking at me with a soft look.

"Was it all a lie?" I asked him, tears in my eyes. He knew exactly what I was talking about, and his eyes grew wide in shock.

"No!" he said in a loud whisper. I didn't have to look over our shoulders to know that there were people walking past us, only ten feet away. If we spoke too loudly they would hear. "No, I care about you, in ways that should not be allowed." I nodded, looking back at the water. His words had soothed me somewhat. The look in his eyes told me that he was telling the truth.

"Bella," Edward whispered to me. I turned to him and my breath caught in my throat. His eyes were glowing, as if there were a neon light behind them.

'_I care for you more than my own life_.'

Edward's voice echoed in my mind, loud and definite. It seemed that I was no longer scared of the voice in my head. Crazy, yes I know. But it seemed as if it was suddenly a part of me. I looked away from Edward, afraid that I would get lost in the depths of his eyes. I looked over the lake, at the trees blowing in the cold breeze. I could see leaves move gently, and I knew that without my new vision I would not be able to see this. I could see cracks in the thin ice that had formed over parts of the lake, and I could see the water ripple at parts where fish swam.

Could I live with this? Forever? And if not forever, than for a thousand years? I sounded crazy, I sounded delusional. But I couldn't deny what was set so blatantly in front of me. Could I spend the rest of my life here, at this school? Could I spend my life helping others, like Carlisle had dedicated his life to?

I knew the answer. I felt the panic that I had felt I my stomach slowly leak away. If I didn't know any better, I would swear Jasper was standing right next to me, telling me to be calm.

I _could_ do this. I didn't have to go back to Forks. I didn't _want _to go back to the place that had slowly started to suck the life from me. I was safe here, in Silver Bay.

I felt my mouth tug in the corner, forming a slight smile. I knew Edward was still watching me, probably wondering what I was thinking about. After all, he had just told me he cared so much about me, that he would die for me. I wonder how literally he meant that, but knew that I was hoping he didn't mean it at all. Not in the literal sense.

My fingers twitched under the blanket, but this time I moved them forward. My heart was steady and calm, which pleased me. It meant I was doing the right thing. When my hand emerged from under the blanket, Edward stared at it, watching its every movement.

I sighed, wrapping my hand around the water bottle and lifting it off of the dock. Edward gasped, knowing what I was doing. I opened the top and tilted my head back, drinking the cool liquid.

Yes, I _could_ do this.

I set the water bottle down and lifted the sandwich. I shed the saran wrap in just seconds and sank my teeth into the white bread. I let the turkey slide down my throat, knowing damn well that I was making the right decision.

I glanced to Edward again and saw that he had tears in his eyes. He was happy that I was doing this, I could see he was happy for my decision.

"Carlisle will be pleased," he whispered. I took another bite of the sandwich and washed it down with water.

'_As am I.'_

"How do you do it? Get the voice in my mind, I mean?" Edward watched me finish the sandwich, waiting until the last bite was down my throat before he spoke.

"I think I have to be staring at you," he said softly. "I just clear my mind and think of what I want to say." I nodded, not wanting to push it. I concentrated on listening to the laughter of my fellow classmates as they walked around campus.

"I'm sorry," Edward said after a few silent moments. I looked over at him and raised one of my eyebrows in question.

"For being so secretive," he clarified. "The last thing I want to do was be dishonest to you. I intended on keeping an eye on you because of reasons mentioned in our 'meeting', but I never expected to care for you the way that I do." I felt my heart skip slightly, and I blushed, realizing that he could hear it.

"Can we try this again? You know, you and me?" he asked me. Truthfully, I was shocked. I didn't expect him to say that outright. Not that I expected anything in the first place, but looking into Edward's eyes, I knew that I would take anything he offered me. I reached out and tucked a stray piece of his bronze hair back. I could hear him sigh, and his eyes fluttered for just a moment.

"Yes," I answered him. I let out a small laugh, and Edward followed soon after. I liked him… a lot. I had no reason to tell him no. After all, I have a long time to figure my shit out, let's start with what makes me happy.

* * *

**Thank you so much my wonderful readers! I also want to throw a special thank you to the people who reviewed my last chapter. You are so wonderful. Your concern for why I dropped off the face of the earth was so nice.**

**ATTENTION READERS- PLEASE READ THIS, REVIEW & LET ME KNOW IF YOU AGREE LOL **

**I've been throwing a story idea in my head that is about Bella and Jasper... I know I know. But a very WISE person told me it's okay to be 'Tag Team Edward-Jasper' and I do say that I agree. I just want to put Jasper in one pocket and Edward in the other *girly giggle*. I've been writing ideas down for the story, and even started writing some chapters. What I need advice on is whether I should wait until Silver Bay is finished before I post the beginning chapters for the next story, or if it would be wise to have both going at the same time. Silver Bay would not be abandoned, I swear, but I just don't know. Let me know what you think, and please, be honest. Thank you! ~Ashley**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who gave me their input on my 'dilemma' of working on two stories at once. You are all so incredibly awesome, and you helped me realize that I should work on one story at a time, rather than posting both at once. I'll still be making side notes for the other story I'm thinking about, but I'll only be posting chapters for one story at a time. Also, I had a review from 'droga1' but it didn't give me an option to message you back. As an answer to your question, yes I do update regularly. I had a small hiatus for like a week and a half or so because I had a lot of stuff going on at home (job switch, daughter being injured etc) so I got a little behind. But it is in my normal behavior to update once a week or so, sooner if I can.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own twenty moving boxes. That's right ya'll! I'm moving back to Florida!!**

* * *

I had crawled into bed closer to nine than I would have hoped. Classed had started again, but Edward told me to rest, and he would let my teachers know that I was sick. When I entered my bedroom, I was glad to see that all of my roommates were indeed gone. So I slipped beneath the sheets and closed my eyes, asleep before my mind could begin to wander.

The dreams that plagued my mind that night were bordering the nightmare quality. I watched over and over again as I walked into the woods and walked towards the place I had seen Edward. But I couldn't find Edward anywhere. He had left me, left me at that school to fend for myself.

I woke up around four that afternoon, a scream bubbling up on my lips. Despite the chill I the air, my hair was stuck to my head with sweat. Glancing around I realized that there was no one else there, but there was a note sitting on my nightstand.

_Bella-_

_Hope everything is okay, we need to talk. I'll meet you outside the Rec Hall before dinner._

_-Alice_

I threw the note back down on the nightstand and sighed. I still didn't know what to tell Alice, but I had a feeling I would be honest with her. After all, there were others who knew of our existence.

I found myself smiling at the term 'our'. I could feel something new inside of me… I was already connecting myself to them. But, as I told myself before, I couldn't deny what was happening. There were too many facts showing it to me.

After taking a shower, it only took me ten minutes to get ready to leave the room. Dinner would be ready in the Rec Hall soon, so I made my way towards the building to wait for Alice. The cold air seemed to be seeping through my jacket, so I hurried my steps in hopes of getting out of the wind sooner. There were a few students milling around, but I kept my head down to watch my feet as I walked. I didn't know why but I suddenly felt like they could see the secret I now carried with me, tattooed on my forehead in block letters.

"Bella!" I turned towards the voice, now happy that I didn't have to wait for her.

"Alice," I smiled. I was immediately caught off guard when she plowed right into me, embracing me in a tight hug.

"I have been so worried about you," she whispered in my ear. I nodded, instantly feeling horrible about letting my friend worry. I pulled back, giving her an apologetic look.

"I am so sorry, Alice." I didn't want to offer anything else while we were standing in front of the Rec Hall so I motioned for her to follow me inside.

"Let's grab a sandwich or something and then we can go somewhere to talk." Alice nodded and I was glad, because if she wanted me to wait to eat until after our talk, then my stomach would surely eat itself. Alice followed me into the near empty building, and we were able to grab food before it was actually due to be served.

"How did you get here so soon?" I asked. Alice shrugged, examining the bread of her roast beef sandwich.

"I told my teacher that I wasn't feeling well. Let's just say that if the teacher has to choose between cleaning up vomit and letting you go a little early, they'll let you go early." I laughed, making a mental note of this for future reference.

Alice lead me towards the lake and back to the dock where I seem to be migrating towards whenever serious conversations need to be held. I sat next to Alice, glancing over the water with a smile. It would never cease to amaze me, how nature could be so beautiful.

"So…?" Alice opened her sandwich and was nibbling at the bread, her eyes wide with curiosity. I sighed and met her gaze head on.

"First, I want you to tell me what happened at your 'therapy' session." I know Alice was dying with curiosity, but I needed to know what exactly she knew before I threw all of this information at her. She cleared her throat and shrugged.

"Well, I went into the Director's house with Esme, and I did my little act. I cried about how I didn't want to lose you as a friend and how I was so scared that the people at this school would think I was a horrible person." I wanted to laugh at this, because I knew that just about everyone I had come in contact with actually loved Alice.

"By the way, we did fucking awesome," Alice grinned. I laughed, thinking back to how everyone had consoled Alice because I was so vicious to her.

"Yeah we were," I agreed. "I'm curious to see how many people on campus think I'm a complete bitch." Alice just shook her head though, waving her hand as if it were nothing.

"Well," Alice continued with her tale of the previous night, "about an hour after I started the session with Esme, I started to wonder if you were already in the house or if you had decided not to do anything at all."

"No, I came… sort of," I muttered. Alice just nodded, an understanding look on her face.

"That's when a call came through to Esme's radio. It was Carlisle, and he told her to get me back to the dorm and then for her to go to her room. I started to panic, but within minutes I was being shoved through the front door and told to sit downstairs. All the other girls in the building were sent to their rooms except for us. The five of us had to sit down in the living room area.

"Then Carlisle came through the door with Edward and some guy I had never seen before. They didn't even look at us Bella. They just walked right upstairs. I tried to follow them to see what the hell was going on, but Rosalie told me to sit my ass still or she'd hurt me." I chuckled at that, knowing how true it would be.

"We sat down there for the longest time," Alice continued, "and then Jasper brought you in. Bella… you were really out of it. You had this glazed look on your face like you were being sedated, and Jasper wouldn't even let you talk." My stomach lurched, and the half eaten sandwich in my hands suddenly didn't look so appetizing. I set it down on the dock and sighed. I hadn't meant to worry Alice like this, and for almost a full day? I was so stupid.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Alice just shook her head and set her hand on my knee.

"Don't be sorry, just tell me what happened." This was it. This was the part where I brought her into this and she had no way of going back.

"Alice… before I tell you anything I need to know if you're ready for what I'm going to tell you." Alice's eyebrows rose in question, so I continued. "Once I tell you this… there's no going back. I know you are already in this more than you should be because I dragged you along. But there's still a chance to turn around and act like you know nothing. It's your choice." Alice sighed and shook her head.

"There's no way you're leaving me out of this. I'm already a part of this, so please tell me. Even if it's crazy and off the wall, you won't chase me away." _She says that now_, I thought. But I nodded. I had to accept her decision, and part of me was glad. I needed someone… I needed someone with me as I went through all of this. Alexander saw me as a lab experiment, eyes ablaze with wonder and amazement. Carlisle was in a close second with Alexander, and I didn't know Jasper well enough to spill out my heart and soul to him. And Edward… well Edward would just tell me that I was overreacting and that things would get better. He would sugar coat things and try to shield me from the big bad things of the world. At least with Alice, she would be honest and tell me what I needed to be careful about and what things were shady. That is, if anything ended up being 'shady' with the others. So far I had no reason not to trust them. I think overall I just wanted my friend there by me.

"Okay," I whispered. "Just keep an open mind to all of this… although you've already seen so much that I don't think you'll have a problem with believing it." I let out a small laugh and glanced out over the water. Where to start?

"Well, last night when I headed down the path you told me about, I heard a voice. So of course I headed towards the voice. I didn't plan on getting off track; I was going to check to see who it was and then head back to where you were. Well, when I got closer to the person, it sounded like they were having an argument. When I got close enough to see them, I saw that it was Edward." Alice's eyes got wide.

"Who was he having an argument with?" she asked quietly. I opened my mouth but froze. I had only assumed that it had been one of the others, but Alice just told me that Carlisle, Alexander and Edward had walked in the building together. It wasn't Esme, and I didn't think it would be Jasper. Then who was it?

"You know, I don't know," I muttered. "I was so sidetracked with everything else that I never asked him." I was slightly angry with myself about forgetting such a detail, but I knew that next time I saw Edward I would ask him.

"Anyway, Edward was standing in a small clearing by himself. I'm guessing that whoever he was speaking with had left at that point. He didn't have a shirt on, and when he bent over to pick up his shirt…" This was it. This was where Alice would get up and run away, screaming that I had lost my mind and that they should bring my straight jacket.

"What happened?" Alice's eyes were bright with wonder.

"Well, remember when I found Edward's journal and he mentioned a Ganduri?" Alice nodded. "Edward… he's a Ganduri."

"Okay, what's a Ganduri?" Alice continued to stare at me as I was silent. "Bella, you're scaring me." I took a deep breath and looked around, worried that someone would be close enough to hear our conversation.

"A Ganduri is a man who is half man… half bird." That didn't come out right. I closed my eyes and shook my head. After a second of silence I looked up at Alice and found her looking at me as if I were crazy.

"Don't look at me like that!" I groaned, looking down at my lap. I couldn't say this and see Alice's reaction. "I'm telling you the truth. When I saw Edward, his eyes were glowing and his fingernails were dark and shaped like claws. And he even had wings." Silence. I counted to ten before I looked back at Alice. She looked confused.

"I'm telling you the truth," I repeated. "When I saw Edward looking like that I screamed and ran. I managed to hide, but Jasper found me. He's a Ganduri too, and I tried to scream when he found me but he has this weird ability to make me stay calm. That's why I looked drunk when you saw me last night." Again I looked at Alice and I took her silence as a reason to continue.

"When I went upstairs Edward was looking through that notebook we had used to write back and forth, and Carlisle was talking to Alexander. They then told me that I was one of them. Never has there been a female Ganduri, but there is a prophecy…" I told Alice about the prophecy and what the others expected of me. She was quiet while I spoke, and before I knew it I was rambling. I was so scared that when I stopped talking that she would stand up and walk away. That she wouldn't believe me and I would be all alone.

When I was done though, I took a deep breath and held back the tears.

"Alice?" She was staring at the water with an odd look in her eyes. I couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, but I grew more nervous by the second.

"Do you believe them?" she whispered. I paused for just a second, but nodded.

"Yeah, I do. They all stood in front of me and showed me what they were. And with everything that is happening to me, it kind of even makes sense." Alice nodded and smiled at me.

"Then I believe you. Although I am a little jealous that you saw Jasper with his shirt off." I blinked and my mouth dropped open. Alice's smile turned into a grin and I laughed.

"Only you would think of that after all I told you!" We laid our backs down the dock, staring up at the sky and talked about what we now knew to be real. Alice was amazed at what I told her, and even asked me for details. She wanted to know what the wings felt like, which I couldn't tell her because I had been too chicken shit to actually reach out and touch any part of the others. But the thought stuck with me, and I wondered if later on I would have enough courage to ask Edward or Jasper to take a closer look.

Alice and I chatted until the sun started to set. I took that as our cue to get back inside, so I slapped Alice on the leg and motioned towards our building.

"Let's go, curfew is coming." She nodded and we made our way across campus. My heart was soaring at how easily Alice accepted all of this. But I still had so many questions for Edward, and I was hoping I could ask him tonight.

* * *

Once I heard snores coming from my roommates that night I knew that was my cue to sneak out. I mentally chastised myself for making this a regular habit, but it wasn't like I could pull Edward to the side in class and ask him who he was speaking to in the woods the other night when he was all bird-like.

People would look at me funny.

I made my way downstairs and out the front door with a smile on my face. I was upbeat and energized, with questions running through my head. I should have written them down just so I would know if I missed anything.

My mind was occupied as I made my way towards the rope course, looking down at my feet so I wouldn't trip over the small piles of snow that still remained in the path.

That is, until I ran into a wall.

I stumbled backwards, cursing under my breath at my stupidity of walking into a damn building. As I set myself straight, the wall coughed.

I froze, my eyes trailing up a person who stood directly in front of me. _Please be Edward, please be Edward, please be Edward._ But it wasn't. It was Carlisle.

"Oh," I breathed. And then my defenses kicked in. "I am so sorry, I know we aren't allowed to be out of the rooms after curfew, I am so sorry. I just had so many questions about what is going on, and I was going to Edward to ask them." My heart was slowly picking up in speed and I felt panicked. Carlisle was just staring at me, eyes calm and I swear I could even see the hint of a smile on his face.

"Bella, come with me." Fuck. I was in trouble. But I didn't say anything else as Carlisle wrapped his hand on my upper arm and started leading me in the opposite direction—towards his house. Carlisle's grip wasn't tight, just firm enough so that I knew if I tried to move away he would be able to grasp hold of me once again. Neither of us spoke as we walked towards the house, and I let my eyes wander around the campus as we went. Nothing moved, which gave me an unsettling feeling of being alone.

When we reached the house, Carlisle opened the door and motioned for me to go in before him. I did so and watched as he walked towards the living room, sitting down on the couch that I had occupied the night before. He waved his arm around him to any of the seats available, and I only paused for a second before I sat in an arm chair next to the couch.

"You aren't in trouble for being out past curfew," Carlisle said quickly. Surprisingly enough, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"But," he continued, "I do not want you to make it a habit." His eyes were stern, and I nodded quickly. After tonight, I knew I wouldn't make this a regular thing at all. Carlisle leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, looking at me with an intense gaze.

"So you say you have questions? What seems to be the problem?" My mouth dropped open in shock, remaining a bug trap for a solid ten seconds before I forced myself to speak.

"Wow…um, I guess… my main question being when exactly is my transformation going to be complete?" Those words seemed odd coming from my lips. But Carlisle only nodded with a smile.

"Ahh, yes, Edward told me that you had decided to go along with this. You have no idea how much this pleases us." I blushed and only nodded, not trusting my own voice right that second. The last thing I needed was to come across as shy, insecure person. "As said before, the transformation is complete after a certain ritual is performed. It's actually not that complex, it's just only certain people are able to perform it. Myself included." Great, I was in the presence of a seven hundred year old specialist.

"Usually it takes several months for someone to undergo the transformation and get to the point at which we can perform the ritual. You… well let's just say that it took Edward a solid three months before his vision was as perfect as yours is. You took less than a month. Remarkable, really.

"I would like to do some research before we complete your transformation, mainly having to do with your ability to hear Edward's thoughts and your extra vision abilities." _Just call it what it is, hearing voices and rubber band vision, _I thought.

"But roughly?" I asked softly. Carlisle stopped to think for a moment before smiling at me.

"A week? Maybe two?" My eyes grew wide. A week? _One week?_

"And then… I'll be like you?" I asked. "Wings, talons, glowing eyes and all?" Carlisle smiled and nodded.

"There is more to it than that, but we're going to wait a couple of days until we show you this." My brows furrowed in confusion. Carlisle caught the look and smiled.

"Trust me," was all he said. I nodded, not really having much of a choice.

"Is there anything else you wanted to know right away?" Carlisle asked me gently. Of course, I thought. I wanted to know freaking _everything_. But I knew that all of this was not possible to learn in one night, one day. Hell, it would take me forever to understand it all.

I glanced around the room, not sure if I had any other questions right that second. I did a double take when I caught my reflection in a mirror on the wall. My mouth again dropped open at the sight before me, and I wondered if it was a trick mirror.

I looked… different? I wasn't sure if that was the right word to use in this situation. I had grown up looking like plain Bella. I'm not exaggerating. I'm talking brown hair that was always in a pony tail because I refused to do much else with it. I didn't use hair product because, living in Forks with the rainy weather, it was pointless. So most of the time it was dull and _blah_. But right this second it looked as if every strand was shinning. Like I had stepped out of a misty shower and someone was putting a spotlight on me.

My brown eyes were always the window to what I was feeling. I could look stoic all fucking day long. But if you really looked at my eyes, you would be able to see what I was really feeling. I could see a slight glow behind the brown pools. Not dramatic like the others, but… definitely brighter than normal.

"Bella?" Carlisle's voice broke into my trance and I gaped at him.

"I look different." Carlisle smiled and nodded.

"Yes. To others, the change isn't intensely noticeable. They might think that you just look… healthier. But to us, to Ganduri's, we can see the change." I nodded, not able to keep my eyes off my reflection for too long. No matter how many times I looked away, my eyes gravitated back.

"Is this good? I mean, for the transformation? This means everything is happening the way it's supposed to?" I sounded so nervous! I wanted to laugh at myself!

"Yes. Yes, everything is happening the way it is supposed to." Carlisle seemed calm, so I tried to take a page from his book. I took a deep breath and _forced_ myself to look away from the mirror.

"I have questions… so many questions," I admitted, "but they don't all have to be answered tonight." Carlisle nodded and smiled.

"All questions will be answered. I know it's a lot to take in, especially with the way you found out. I have to admit, it's a little unorthodox." We both laughed at that. "But I want you to know that you are handling this extremely well. Shock is expected, even horror. But the turnaround that you have showed is just wonderful." I blushed again, looking down at my feet. And like a car hitting a brick wall, I remembered one of the things that I had wanted to talk about with Carlisle.

"Um, I just remembered one thing I wanted to talk to you about," I said softly. Carlisle's eyes became bright in wonder and he nodded. He seemed eager to listen to all the questions I had, but I suddenly felt as if I would let him down with this.

"I told Alice," I whispered. My eyes were trained on him, looking for any kind of reaction I could get. But he only nodded.

"I mean, when it all began, she was the person I went to for help. I didn't know what was going on, and she was there for me when I needed someone."

And then Carlisle surprised the hell out of me by smiling. _Calmly_.

"Esme knows," he said. I needed to find a hammer and a damn nail to shut my mouth. "She is a very dear friend of mine, and I confided in her years ago. Alexander was even married at one point, but his wife long passed away." Was he… was he giving me an okay?

"What I'm saying, Bella, is that everyone needs somebody. I won't lie, it's hard to tell someone, especially when you know they won't be living for as long as you, but everyone needs somebody. And if Alice is your somebody, then it's okay." Tears sprang to my eyes at the thought of Alice dying. "I just need her to understand that this isn't something she can talk about to anyone else. And most likely I'm going to want to sit down with her and talk to her about these rules." I nodded, baffled at how easily Alice would be accepted into all of this.

Could I really keep my best friend with me?

"Thank you," I said.

Minutes later, Carlisle was bringing me back to my building, watching me as I made my way up the stairs and to the front door. I wanted so badly to see Edward, to ask him who he was speaking to in the forest the night before, but with Carlisle standing right there, watching my every move, I didn't dare.

I waved to Carlisle once before shutting the door, leaning against the door with a sigh. I kicked off the extra snow onto the doormat and made my way towards the staircase. Right before I lifted my foot to climb the first step, I looked to my left.

And just about screamed.

"Sorry!" Edward smiled bashfully.

"What the _hell_!?" I whispered loudly, my hand pressed over my heart. "Between you and Carlisle, I'm going to have a freaking heart attack!" My heart was pounding, and I knew for a fact that Edward could hear it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He took a step forward, but I held my finger up to stop him. My breathing was becoming regular again as was my heartbeat, but I knew it would be a few minutes until I was back to the calm Bella I had been when I walked through that door.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked Edward, my eyes trained on the doorframe next to him. I hadn't moved from my spot in front of the stairs, and I suddenly wished that we could be elsewhere. Anywhere. Talking to him in private would never seem like a private affair if we were in a house with twenty other girls.

"I take it your talk with Carlisle went well?" he asked me softly. My eyes darted to his quickly, just in time to see a smile spread across his face.

"Yeah," I laughed, "it did. I never actually got to my original destination."

"Which was?"

"You," I admitted. Edward smiled and motioned for me to follow him. He entered the living room and sat on one of the couches, patting the cushion beside him. I hesitated for just a moment before I sat next to him. Unconsciously I turned my body towards him, and I smiled when I saw that he did the same. Our knees were touching, and the feeling of him so close to me was fantastic. I missed him.

"So what did you talk to Carlisle about?" Edward asked softly. I glanced behind me for some reason, knowing full well that no one would be there. I knew it would be a while before the paranoia would wear off.

"I asked him when exactly the transformation would be complete," I picked at my nails as I spoke, "and he said that because I have been progressing quicker than normal, that the… ceremony… will be in about a week or two." Edward's eyes widened and I swear his eyebrows disappeared in the curtain of his disheveled hair.

"Wow," he breathed, "I've never heard of one happening that quickly." I let out a humorless laugh.

"Yes, but I'm one of a kind. I guess things aren't going to be the same for me, will it?"

"No. I guess not," Edward whispered. We sat in silence, both of us not saying what we really wanted to say.

"Alice knows," I offered to the conversation. Edward looked upset for a second before I held my hand up.

"Carlisle said it was okay," I said quickly. "Although he was informed of her knowledge after the fact. He said that he didn't blame me. And after all, she knew too much to not be filled in." I looked Edward in the eye and gave him a small smile.

"She was the one I went to when all of this started. If it weren't for her I would have gone crazy." Edward nodded and ran his hand through his hair.

"She understands that this isn't something she can talk to anyone else about?" he checked. I nodded.

"Absolutely. She knows it's not something anyone will believe anyway. But I'm going to talk to her again, and then I think Carlisle is going to speak with her. She'll be like my sidekick." I laughed at the thought, but knew it wasn't something I would say straight to Alice. She'd kick my ass if I told her that.

"And what were you coming to me about?" Ah, yes. The forest.

"Something occurred to me today when I was talking to Alice," I started. "When I saw you in the forest, you were talking to someone. I never saw who it was, but you kept telling them 'no'. Who was it?" I watched Edward as his face paled slightly and he shifted in his spot. His knees moved so they were no longer touching mine, and I watched as his hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white under the strain.

"Edward?" It was just a question, right? Why did he look so unsettled?

"It's not a concern." His words were clipped, as if he expected me to drop it. If it had been any other time before the snow storm, before I knew anything at all, I would have just agreed and went along to a different topic.

But I knew things now. And I wasn't taking any other answer than the truth.

"It is. And I want to know." He seemed surprised, _very_ surprised at the fact that I wouldn't let this go.

"You don't need to be concerned with this."

"Does it have to do with me?" I asked. Edward nodded.

"Then I do need to be concerned," I said, standing. I moved so that I sat across from him on the coffee table. I moved his legs so that I could fit my knees between his, and I set my hands on his thighs. I reached up and moved his chin so that his eyes were level with mine.

"Edward, you can't hide anything with me. I want to know what it is if it pertains to me. I have the right to know." I let the seconds tick by in silence as Edward and I stared at each other. The only light was coming from a small lamp in the corner, and it made the left side of Edward's face glow. Edward took a deep breath and nodded at me.

"Remember how we told you that there are other Ganduri's in this world? Ones who may or may not be as… nice as we are?" Edward's voice was soft and caressing in the dark. Any other topic and I would have been smiling at him and crawling in his lap. Instead, I nodded, face straight.

"Well, we were worried that others would sense you." Edward glanced down to my hands that were still on his thighs and continued. "See, everyone has a scent to us. Humans smell one way, and Ganduri's smell another way. Since all Ganduri's have been men, we give off a certain scent. Kind of a woodsy, hot smell. It's hard to explain. You'll experience it after the ceremony." My heart jumped at this.

"Well, when we discovered that you existed we noticed you emit a different type of scent. It's not as potent as it would be once the transformation is complete, but it's noticeable. Well, others have sensed it somewhat. And they have come to us, asking if we know of a female. They've asked us if we know if the prophecy has come true. When you found me in the forest, I was cutting someone off from coming to campus." Edward paused before reaching out to close my hand in his own. His skin was unbelievably warm, and it sent goosebumps up my arms.

"I was fully changed when you saw me because the Ganduri who I was speaking to wanted to make his way onto campus. He wanted to look around himself. The only way I could stop him was if I changed."

"Wait," I interrupted. "I remember hearing the voice... _your_ voice in my head. Saying 'she's not ready' or something. What was that?" Edward smiled at me, rubbing his thumb along the back of my hand.

"I'm surprised you heard that," he said. "When you're completely done with the change, and you have gone through the ceremony, you will be able to face any of the Ganduri's and be able to fend for yourself. Both physically and mentally. But until then, any of us is too strong for you. Someone could take you against your will."

Was it seriously this bad? Would someone actually take me?

"And what would they do to me if they took me?" I wondered aloud.

"They could brainwash you. They could make you into something you aren't." Well then. I swallowed hard, the thought of being taken against my will and forced to believe evil things. The thught of me being… like my father, actually, made me sick.

"Thank you." Edward's eyes widened and his hands tightened on mine.

"For what?"

"For keeping them away. For protecting me." Edward smiled and reached up with his hand to graze my cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Bella, I would do anything to protect you." His words settled into me with a wave of warmth, and I leaned into his touch. I believed him, I really did. And part of me was singing in the fact that I didn't have to hate Edward. As childish as that thought was, when I had thought that he, Jasper and Carlisle were plotting to kill me, I was sad. I had grown rather attached to Edward, and the possibility of it _all_ being a lie started to destroy me. I wanted to believe that he cared for me, and that every kiss and every touch was not a lie. I wanted to believe his words and believe that we had some sort of future.

I was now beaming in the fact that I could trust my original instincts.

I took a deep breath and leaned forward, my eyes not leaving Edward's. I wanted, no _needed_, to feel Edward's lips on my own. The need was so strong that it began to consume me. Edward seemed to catch on and was immediately meeting me half way.

When Edward's lips touched mine, I felt the sparks fly. I heard a small moan fill the air, but I wasn't sure if it came from me or him. I pressed my mouth to his, running my tongue along his bottom lip right away. I wanted to taste him, to feel his skin along my tongue.

The hand that had cupped my cheek was now sinking into my hair, and I found that I was removing my hands from his lap and threading my own fingers in his hair. Edward opened his mouth and the kiss deepened, giving me access to the glorious taste that filled his mouth.

Our tongues brushed and we sank into the others' touch. I wanted to move slowly, but the urge to climb onto his lap was slowly starting to win over the side of me that was screaming to be slow and careful.

I moved my hands from his hair and ran them down his arms, feeling his muscles beneath the fabric of his sweater. Would it be wrong to tear the fabric from his skin, just so I could touch him sooner?

"Bella," he breathed, breaking away from the kiss. "We have to stop."

"Why?" I gasped, wanting more. And then I heard movement.

"Fuck," I groaned. I moved my hands off of him, listening as the floor creaked above us. Someone had gotten out of bed and was most likely going to the restroom or to the kitchen.

"I should go," Edward whispered. His hand was standing straight up, thanks to my fingers, which had tugged on the strands as if they were a lifeline. His eyes were wide and bright, most likely matching my own.

"I wish you didn't have to," I admitted. But Edward stood, grabbing his jacket and walking to the door. I followed close behind, my lips begging to be touched. When we reached the door he turned, eyes smoldering.

"This isn't over," he said. My heart literally skipped a beat and then began to hammer within the walls of my chest. It would have been embarrassing, knowing that he could hear it. But unbelievably it wasn't. I was turned on, wanting to bring him back to his bedroom and ravish him.

"No, not over at all," he whispered. I jumped when I heard a door open upstairs. Edward leaned forward and pressed his mouth to mine once more in a chaste kiss before disappearing out the door. When my eyes finally focused, I was alone.

"Urgh," I mumbled. I listened as footsteps fell on the stairs, and I turned just in time to see Alice appear.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a yawn. I opened my mouth to speak, but there was nothing. Instead, my face grew warm. Alice narrowed her eyes at me in the dark and laughed.

"Well, you're nice and embarrassed over something," she whispered. "Now the question is, what?"

"Shut up." I tried to compose myself as I walked past Alice, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug.

"Uh uh, you can't be mad at me. Now, where were you off to?" I sighed and pulled away from her, wondering how in the world she could look so put together right after she crawled out of bed.

"I was having a secret rendezvous with Jasper in the woods," I deadpanned. Alice's mouth dropped open and I found myself swatting away her hands as they pelted me with smacks.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" I laughed. Luckily she found it as funny as I did, because she was laughing too.

"I had a talk with Carlisle," I told her, grinning. "And just as a heads up, I told him that you knew everything. She he's going to want to talk to you about all of this." Alice nodded, and I had a feeling that she expected it.

"I also had a talk with Edward about who he was talking to in the forest."

"Oh yeah?" Alice looked very interested at this.

"Yeah, apparently it was another Ganduri that had sensed me." Her eyebrows shot upwards, and I nodded, knowing full well what she was thinking.

"I know. So I guess until this little ceremony happens, they're going to be watching me a little closely." Alice sighed and led me up the stairs, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Bella. I'll kick anyone's ass who comes near you. Boyfriend or not." I stopped on the stairs and turned to her.

"Boyfriend?"

"Oh please," she laughed, pulling me along. "Don't think I don't know who you were kissing just seconds before I came downstairs." Did she see us?

"How did you…?" Alice just shook her head.

"You're not the only one with magical powers, my dear." She tapped her head with an odd expression on her face. "I know things." We both laughed, and I pushed her into the bedroom, a smile on my face.

In just a little over a week, everything would change. And to be honest, I couldn't wait.

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**Thank you so much for reading :-) Remember... review! **

**Like I hint/dropped earlier, my husband, daughter and I are moving from Northern Virginia back to south Florida. I miss the sun. UGH. We're moving April 19th, which just happens to be one week after my daughters birthday and my brother's wedding. So things are seriously going to be HECTIC. But on a good note, I'm going to be hurrying to finish this story before the first of April so that when I move I don't leave everyone hanging. After all, it's going to be a solid week or two around that time that I won't have internet. Don't want to torture everyone. I'm doing enough of that already. **


	14. Chapter 14

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**UPDATE TIME GUYS!**

**Hello all! OK, I want to start this off by saying how much I officially SUCK. I know it's been FOREVER since I've updated this story, and I am soooo sorry. I ended up moving back to Florida in April, where I had no internet... and things very rapidly fell apart. Then in July I decided that Florida isn't what I wanted, so my family and I moved to New Jersey! We're heading allll up and down the east coast lol. So we're in NJ now, and very very happy. Things are finally stable and we have internet/cable/etc etc. So I am officially back (that is if you all want me *tear*). I have the rest of Silver Bay written, so I will be updating it one chapter a day until the story is complete. Only reason why it's going to take THAT long is because I have to type it all out. So. Here's the next chapter :) 3 Ashley**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own the new Eclipse calendar :) It's in my kitchen so I can look at it while I cook...**

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I awoke the next morning feeling… different. I rolled out of bed, breathing a bit easier and feeling less clumsy that I normally did. I only noticed that because I didn't trip over the small rug that lay under my bed as I did every morning. I couldn't pinpoint the reasoning behind it, so I made my way towards one of the mirrors that adorned the wall next to the closet. When I saw my reflection, I was more shocked than I had been the previous night at Carlisle's house.

My hair was indeed shinier than it had been before, even looking thicker. My brown eyes had a shine to them, like I was looking into the sun. My skin was taking on a healthier tone, no longer the sickly pale it had turned to during my 'sick' period.

I didn't know what to make of any of it, and I could only stare at my reflection as rays of sunlight hit me from the curtains.

"Bella?" I jumped at Alice's voice that was suddenly behind me, and I turned to face her. She looked half asleep, rubbing her eyes as she yawned. "What's up?" I didn't know what to say to her, so I remained completely silent, eyebrows up. Alice focused in on me and within seconds her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Did you visit a salon at four this morning?" she whispered. I laughed and gestured towards my face.

"I know, right?" She looked as baffled as I was, leaning in to take a closer look.

"You look… different," Alice concluded. I shrugged, already familiar with the phrase. After all, it was first description of how I felt just minutes ago when I woke.

"I _feel_ different," I admitted. "I noticed a few changes yesterday, but this is crazy." Alice and I continued to stare at my reflection until I realized we weren't the only ones who would notice.

"What's everyone going to say?" I whispered. Alice, for once, was at a loss of words. "Alice, what do I say when someone asks me if I got hair extensions or went to a tanning bed?" I didn't want the panic to appear in my voice, but I could hear it.

"It's going to be okay," she tried to soothe me. I could hear the skepticism laced in her words, but if she wanted to play the cool and confident one, I would let her.

"Wear dark clothing, so your skin won't stand out. And wear your hair in a ponytail. No one will see how thick it is." I was surprised at how quick she shot out the suggestions, but when I heard the other girls start to stir, I didn't pause to second guess her. I slipped into the closet and grabbed my dark blue jeans and a black sweater and black jacket. Alice was behind me, grabbing my black snow boots. I didn't waste time greeting anyone, and rushed to the restroom to take a shower. I didn't allow myself time to linger under the hot water, and within minutes was toweling my hair dry. I threw my clothes on and brushed my hair into the designated hair style, shocked at how my hair even _felt_ thicker than normal.

When I walked into the dorm room, everyone sleepily greeted me, but no one said anything about my change in appearance. I sighed and glanced at Alice, who gave me a thumbs up. I kept my head down as I slipped into my boots and jacket.

"See you at breakfast!" I smiled to everyone, and giving Alice one last look, I bolted out the door and down the stairs. I needed to speak to either Edward or Carlisle before I actually sat down with everyone in the Rec Hall. Maybe they would have an idea as to what I would say to everyone.

I immediately made my way towards the Hall, knowing the teachers gathered before students arrived. And I wasn't disappointed as I walked closer and saw Edward and Jasper standing near the front entrance, talking. When I was in the line of Edward's sight, I lifted my hand to wave. I watched as his eyes darted to me, and while still talking to Jasper, he smiled and waved back.

And then he stopped talking.

And his smile dropped.

_Here we go_, I thought. Jasper seemed to notice the change in Edward's demeanor quickly and followed his line of sight to me. A smile appeared on his lips for the briefest seconds until he saw what Edward saw, and the smile disappeared as well.

"Jesus Christ," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I continued my approach as the two mutes stared, and when I was close enough, I reached out to smack them both.

"Close your mouths. I don't need anyone wondering why two teachers are gaping at me!" I whispered fiercely.

"Um, Bella," Jasper whispered back, "I'm pretty sure no one would _wonder_ why we're staring. If they have eyes, they'll figure it out." I sighed and glanced around to make sure there was no one nearby.

"Guys, what am I going to do? I look like I just had plastic surgery!" Hysteria was quickly bubbling up inside of me, and I needed someone to calm me. To direct my emotions.

"Quickest plastic surgery I've ever seen," Jasper laughed, still staring at my face. I groaned in exasperation and reached out to smack his arm again. But Jasper was quick and grabbed my wrist.

"Bella, it's going to be fine," he said with that same smile, and he looked over to Edward who was still staring at me with his mouth hanging open.

"Close it buddy," Jasper muttered, elbowing Edward in the stomach. He responded quickly and at least had the decency to blush. As much as I wanted to dwell on the fact that Edward couldn't stop staring at me, I could hear the students in the distance.

"What the hell do I say to everyone when they notice that I look so different?" I snapped. Edward cleared his throat and finally spoke up.

"You did good with the choice of clothing," he croaked. "The black doesn't show that your skin tone has changed as much." Jasper nodded, and I silently thanked Alice.

"The only real difference a normal person will see is your eyes at this point," Jasper added. I opened my mouth to argue, wanting to say that Alice noticed it all, but I was interrupted by my name being shouted across campus. I turned and saw my roommates walking closer. I smiled and waved quickly.

"You'll do fine," Jasper whispered, "just relax and shrug any comments off. It just looks like you got a little sun and some extra sleep. You're fine." I swallowed hard and saw the honesty in Jasper's eyes. The green and brown mixture calmed me, and I could feel my panic melt away.

"Thanks for the tranquilizer," I joked, and I glanced at Edward. "And _you_ weren't much help." I grinned and turned away to head towards the others when Edward's voice echoed through my head.

_You look positively beautiful._

I felt my skin blush and I turned slightly to peek back at him. His eyes were glowing and the smile on his face was radiant. I grinned back and rushed forward, afraid our little exchange would give us away. And as I moved towards Alice and Rosalie, I could hear Jasper's low voice as he spoke to Edward.

"What was that?" he laughed. "Please don't tell me you two are…" When Edward didn't respond, Jasper's voice got lower. "Edward? Seriously? Does Carlisle know?" I didn't want to hear the rest, so I tuned them out as I approached the girls.

"Good morning all!" I smiled. Alice grinned back, but Rosalie just stared.

"What?" I played dumb. But Rosalie didn't buy that.

"How the hell… what happened to you?" I tilted my head slightly in mock confusion and silently cursed myself as my heart rate sped up.

"What do you mean?" I said. Rosalie just stared though, her eyes going from my hair, to my eyes, to my mouth, and even down to my feel. She was definitely looking at me for changes.

"Your eyes," Rosalie finally settled. I raised one of my eyebrows and looked to Alice and Dee. Alice marginally moved her head from one side to the other, shaking her head.

"You know," I said with a laugh, "you're not the first one this morning who has said something about my eyes. " I laughed aloud and reached over to link my arms through Rosalie and Alice's. "I guess that's what a snow storm and a few days of great rest will do for you!" As we walked into the Rec Hall, I looked over to see Jasper and Edward grinning at each other, and then grinning at me. Rosalie didn't argue with my excuses, and I could see Alice smiling at me from my peripheral vision.

_I could do this_, I told myself_. I can do this._

* * *

I made it through breakfast with only a few people saying something about how I looked. I managed to brush it off and give them the same excuse I gave Rosalie.

Making our way towards the rope course, Alice and I whispered to each other about complete nonsense. It felt good.

"So, what do you think about Jasper?" Alice whispered. I glanced at her and noticed her cheeks had a pink tint to them.

"You're blushing," I teased. Her skin turned a darker red and I glanced around the campus quickly. I found Jasper almost right away, coming out of the director's house and heading in the direction of the Academic building.

"Jasper, huh?" I knew her would hear me, and I wasn't disappointed when he immediately looked up and his eyes trained on us. Thank God for super hearing.

"Yeah," Alice whispered. "I know it's bad of me to think that way, but I can't help it." I watched as Jasper stared at Alice in shock, frozen a hundred yards away in his spot. His eyes tore away from Alice and met mine. I raised one eyebrow as if to say 'see?' and I smiled.

"I think Jasper is a great guy," I said to Alice while still staring at Jasper. "I just want you to be careful. After all, you don't know if he likes you the same way you like him." Jasper turned the same red as Alice, and I laughed.

"Or maybe he does." Alice looked up at me with hopeful eyes. I tore my gaze away from the blushing man and to my blushing friend.

"You think?" she asked. I nodded and patted her arm gently.

"Sure," I said, glancing back to Jasper. "He just better know that if he breaks your heart, I'll break his face." Alice laughed and set her head on my shoulder, but I looked at Jasper, making sure he knew I was serious. And he did. He nodded at me and gave me a smile, continuing on his way.

"What do you think we're doing today?" Alice asked in regards to class. I shrugged, looking over the crowd of people surrounding the totem pole, automatically looking for those grey eyes.

"Damn Bella!" I jumped when hands pulled me away from Alice and to me left. I opened my mouth to scream out of instinct, but as my vision snapped, I was astounded that I could recognize whose touch and whose voice it was that had grabbed me.

Yep, Emmett.

His eyes were roaming over me like he was staring at a new car, and I suddenly felt on display.

"Can I help you?" I asked with a smile. My eyes were taking in every reaction from those around me, and as my heart rate slowed down, my vision snapped back. And like that, like someone had flipped a switch, it all made sense.

"You look different," Emmett commented. "You look _good_." I rolled my eyes, pushing away thoughts of my sudden revelation, and arched an eyebrow.

"So I looked like shit before?" Emmett gaped at me, at a sudden loss of intelligent words.

"No! No, it's not that!" he stammered. I waved my hand at him and lowered the eyebrow.

"Thanks, but don't let Rosalie hear you say that." Emmett's face turned crimson, and I knew I hit it on the nose. I patted his arm and turned back to Alice, who was laughing at Emmett.

"I think I figured out rubber band vision," I whispered to her. Alice stopped laughing and slowly her eyes got wide.

"Seriously?" I only nodded once, jumping up and down in place.

"I have to speak to Edward," I muttered, and started scanning the area for him again. I didn't have to look long though, because coming out of the Director's house- from the same door Jasper had come out of- was Edward.

He climbed down the steps and glanced up when he hit the stone walkway, looking directly at me. He winked and I smiled, wishing that I was able to react to my senses and like the woman I wanted to be. Instead, I was surrounded by high school students, troubled ones at that. And I was probably one of the more messed up ones.

Why did Edward want _me_?

_Hey there gorgeous, _Edward's voice spoke to me. I glanced around before I met his eyes, making certain no one was witnessing the exchange. Edward raised his chin and walked towards the rope course, staring straight at me. I felt my pulse quicken, but not in a burse of adrenaline kind of way. It was a feeling of _need_, of _want. _And Edward was looking at me like he needed me in a want kind of way. My doubts started to trickle away, having room for more thoughts. I found myself blushing at those thoughts.

_I know you feel it, too_. I glanced down at Edward's lips and back to his eyes. _You feel what I feel. Desire._ I did the only thing I could think to do. I nodded.

"Good morning class!" Edward called out to everyone as he came close enough. Everyone waved their hello's as I tried to calm myself.

"You okay?" Alice whispered. Edward's eyes shot to me as he heard her question, and I nodded at both of them.

"Yeah, I'm great."

"Okay, I'm sure you're all wondering what we are doing today," Edward grinned, "and I promise you won't be disappointed."

"Better not be anything lame," Emmett muttered to one of his friends. Alice and I rolled our eyes, but Edward only smiled at Emmett's turned head and stepped to where he was only a couple of feet away from him.

"I'm sorry, have my classes proved to be lame up to this point?" Emmett turned and looked at Edward's laughing eyes in shock.

"No sir," Emmett muttered. Edward nodded and took a step backwards.

"Today we will be splitting into teams," Edward spoke loudly for everyone. "These groups of three will consist of two girls and one boy. Your group will go one by one up the rock wall." I glanced at the tall wall, measuring it to be at least thirty feel tall.

"Then, once all three of you are at the top, you will, one by one, walk across the trapeze rope." My eyes drifted over to the single rope stretched across the course, with one rope above it. With a rush of fear, I assumed that was what we would use to hold on to.

"And then you will, one by one, grab hold of the bar here," Edward pointed, "and travel all the way to the finish line." The final trapeze bar he spoke of was attached to a rope that traveled about fifty feet, diagonally. He wanted us to hold onto that bar until our feet touched the damn ground. I swallowed hard with fear. Edward held up his left hand.

"The team who completes this in the fastest time, wins." IN that raised hand was a stopwatch. Edward took a step towards Emmett.

"Is this _lame_, Mr. McCarthy?" I could see that Emmett wanted to act cool in front of his friends, but he didn't dare.

"No sir," Emmett muttered. I stifled a laugh as Edward smirked.

"That's what I thought," Edward said. He raised his voice so everyone could hear him. "Emmett's group gets to go first!" Laughter trickled through the crowd and just like that Edward started separating the crowd. Group by group, he pulled two girls and one guy into clumps and labeled them 'Group 1', 'Group 2', and so forth. I noticed that the two girls stuck with Emmett were glaring at him. I knew for a fact that no one wanted to go first. There was no one to learn from this way.

When Edward got to me and Alice, he paused, a look of confusion flittering across his face. He turned to glance through the clumps of students for a moment and then spoke up.

"Where is Samuel?" he yelled. Eyes flickered through the crowd, but the short, black haired boy was nowhere to be seen. Edward sighed and paused for a moment.

"Okay, I'll be filling in for Samuel. I'll be teamed with Bella and Alice." Immediately others started to argue, so Edward held his hands up to silence them.

"We'll add twenty seconds onto our time to make it fair." The complaints died down, but Alice and I laughed.

"But," Edward continued, "when we win, you can't complain!"

"What's the prize?" Alice asked.

"The prize is…" Edward paused and shot me a grin. "A trip into town for ice cream." Everyone erupted in screams, and my hands flew to my ears. _Oh. My. GOD._

I looked to my right and realized that a majority of the noise was coming from Alice.

"Okay! Okay!" Edward laughed. "Calm down, and let's get this started." I was completely baffled as to why everyone was _this_ excited about _ice cream_. And then I remembered how nice it was getting away from campus, even for those couple of hours. It felt like freedom. It felt… normal.

"Let's do this madness!" Alice yelled. The groups gathered together, to plan I assumed. I could feel my heart rate speed up, and suddenly I felt a prick in my eyes. Almost as if tears were coming. But I knew it was the rubber band vision coming back. I took a deep breath and blinked it back, not allowing it to take over. Within seconds the feeling went away, and elation took over. I did it! I controlled it! This was something that mastering so early in my transformation would be _incredible_.

"You two ready?" Edward smiled to me and Alice. I opened my mouth to tell him about my discovery, but stopped. No, this wasn't something to throw at him. It was time to impress.

"Yes, we're ready," I said instead. Alice and I stood back while Edward helped Emmett's team into their harnesses. Honestly, I was excited. A year ago, hell even six months ago, I would have refused to participate in something like this. But now, I had changed. I was a differed Bella Swan.

When Emmett and his two team mates, Hannah and Courtney, were ready, Edward came to stand next to me. He handed me a pen and notebook, smiling all the while.

"I need you to keep track of all the teams and their times." I nodded and flipped the small book open. Writing Emmett's name on the first line, I smiled at Alice who was close to my side.

"On my mark," Edward shouted. Emmett placed his hands on the small ledges placed across the rock wall and took a deep breath. "Get set!" Alice squirmed against me, and I watched Edward's thumb come up to the start button on the watch. "Go!" And just like that, Emmett was climbing the wall faster than I thought possible. His body scaled the wall as students screamed, and within seconds I was screaming along with them.

"He's like a damned monkey!" Alice yelled over the shouting. I nodded and kept cheering. When Emmett reached the top, Hannah jumped after him. When all three of them reached the top, we turned to the left to watch them walk across the rope. Emmett's large feet dipped down with the rope, and I briefly wondered if he would be able to walk the entire length without falling.

I didn't have to wonder long. Emmett's left foot slipped and his entire body fell about a foot in the air.

"Dammit Emmett!" Courtney yelled.

"Language!" Edward called, glaring at her slightly. I rolled my eyes and watched Emmett swing his way back onto the rope. I glanced at Alice, confirming that the boys agility was truly amazing.

"I no longer feel confident about this," I muttered. Edward's elbow knocked my side and when I looked over, he smiled.

"Have some faith," he said. Faith. Yeah, right. Emmett finished his way across the rope and turned to cheer on his team mates. Hannah was able to make her way across the rope, followed closely by Courtney.

"They're going really fast," Alice whispered to me. I nodded, knowing she was right. They were going a lot faster than I thought possible, and it made me wonder if they would be the winners. Call me a sore loser in waiting, I suppose.

_We'll be faster._ Edward's voice broke into my thoughts and I smiled without looking at him. I tried to concentrate as Emmett latched his harness to the last rope and propelled his way to the ground. I noticed that his extra weight made him move faster. As soon as the hit the ground, Hannah was latching herself on. When both hers and Courtney's feet hit the dirt, Edward hit the stop button on the watch.

"Six minutes, forty seconds!" Edward shouted. Emmett, Hannah and Courtney cheered as I wrote their time on the page next to Emmett's name. And in a flurry of motion, the next team stepped up.

"This is going to take forever!" Alice laughed. She was right; this was going to be a while.

"I want to go last," I found myself saying to Alice. She didn't question me, and nodded. I made sure to pay attention to the teams as they went, catching the mistakes others made and vowing that I wouldn't make those same mistakes.

Finally, it was our turn, and I found myself handing the notebook and pen to Emmett.

"Well, Swan," he grinned, "looks like it's up to me versus you." I sighed and slammed the pen into his chest.

"Get over yourself, Emmett." I joined arms with Alice and approached the wall. Edward was already in his harness and waiting with one in his hands.

"You guys ready?" Edward asked excitedly. I smiled at him in shock and held back a laugh. He was just so excited, it was cute.

"Yes!" Alice cheered.

"Okay, we're going to want to do this in six minutes, thirty seconds." I did the math in my head and raised my hand stupidly as Edward helped Alice into her harness. But we only have to beat Emmett's teams' time. Don't we have like ten seconds longer than that?" Alice swatted me on the arm.

"Let's just blow them out of the park!" she grinned. Edward finished with her and helped me buckle into mine. I felt his grip last a few extra seconds on my hip and I suddenly wished we were alone.

_I feel it, too,_ Edward's voice popped into my mind. Yeah, I could definitely get used to that. Alice was jumping in place while Edward finished buckling me up. All of us were fidgeting, excited about our turn.

"Okay," I piped up, "I'm going to go first. Then Edward, and then Alice." No one argued with me, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of the wall, my heart pounding. Within to erratic heart beats, my eyes pricked and my vision snapped. I could, amazingly, see every dent and grain in the wood.

"Let's do this madness," I muttered, stealing Alice's line.

"On my mark!" Emmett roared. I placed my hands on the wall and took a deep breath.

_You can do this_, Edward said to only me.

"Get set!" I took another deep breath. "Go!" And I was gone. I pushed myself up the wall, barely bothering to stop and breathe. I felt like I was soaring, listening to the cheers beneath me as I made my way up the wall. Before I could even move my hand to the next notch in the wall, my eyes had zoomed in to the exact spot I needed to move to.

"Go Bella!" Alice was screaming. And just like that, I hit the top and pulled myself up over the edge. As soon as I sat on the ledge, the cheers were directed towards Edward. I looked over the side, my hands gripping the wood tightly.

"Come on, Edward!" I screamed. He glanced up while moving along the wall, his lips stretched into a grin. I clenched my fingers once and then released my grip from the edge. Edward's eyes never left mine as he ascended towards me, and within seconds I was reaching down to grab his hand to help him over. When his knees hit the top, I screamed over the side for Alice to go.

"This is crazy," Edward laughed. I looked at him and gasped. With my vision showing every detail up close, Edward looked truly like a God. His bronze hair had grown a bit since I had first met him, and now the dark hairs hung slightly over his forehead. His grey eyes were always magnificent, but right now I could almost see tiny flecks of gold in the span of grey. His eyes glowed in the bright sun, drilling into me. A slight sheen of sweat covered his tan skin, begging for me to touch him.

I glanced down and cheered on Alice a little less energetically than I did before. I saw that she was half way up the wall. This gave me enough time… but for what exactly, I didn't know. All I knew was that I needed to touch him. I needed him to know how I was feeling.

I backed up a few steps after I screamed again for Alice, stopping only when I knew the other students couldn't see me. I turned then and looked up at a confused Edward. His confusion made my confidence soar, and before I knew it I was reaching out to grab his hand. I pulled his hand up to my face and breathed deeply. He smelled like the woods and mint. He smelled like heaven.

"Bella…" he whispered. I opened my eyes without releasing his hand, wishing that the two of us were _completely_ alone. And just like that, Edward spun me around so that my back was to him, and he moved up a couple of feet. The other students came into view, as did an ascending Alice. I opened my mouth to cheer for her, not wanting anyone to think I wasn't for team spirit. Alice looked up and winked, and suddenly it occurred to me that she knew _exactly_ what Edward and I were doing. Quickly I estimated that we had fifteen seconds before Alice came over the top, so I stepped into Edward's embrace and reached out for his hand.

His breath was loud in my ear, and his left hand brushed down my neck, to my back, and over my rear. My breath hitched in my throat as he pressed his body flush against mine.

"I need you," he whispered. I nodded, afraid my voice would reveal my unsteadiness. Edward's hand ducked under the back of my sweater and ran along my skin. Swiftly, he circled my hip and moved his fingers to my stomach, ducking the tips into the front of my jeans.

"Go Alice!" I heard someone scream, and just like that his touch was gone and Alice was coming over the edge. I jumped forward with Edward and pulled her over the edge.

"Get ready to clip your belt!" Edward said while he pulled on Alice's hand. I rushed towards the other side of the platform and waited until Alice's feet were on the wood before I clipped my belt to the wire and stepped onto the rope. I felt it all bend, but I didn't want to let that deter me. Aiming my eyes to the other side of the course, I pushed through.

"Go Bella!" Alice's screams were louder than anyone else's, and amazingly I felt _free_. Usually being this high in the air, I would feel nauseous and weal. But with Edward and Alice cheering me on, I was quick and strong. One hand in front of the other, I pulled my way along the rope. I let out a small laugh of disbelief as my vision seemed to stretch further and I could now see the end of the rope as if it were an inch in front of me.

And just like that, I was stepping onto the platform, and I felt the rope tug under my grip. I looked behind me and saw that Edward was _gliding_ along. I glanced at the crowd below and saw that Emmett was scowling. Did we actually have a chance at winning? Did Emmett feel threatened? If he was scowling, we were definitely winning. The students around him were all cheering, except for Courtney and Hannah.

"Go Edward!" I heard Alice call. Ten seconds later Edward was by my side and Alice was making her way across.

"Unbelievable," I said to Edward. "Do you think we're actually going to win?" I wondered… and even hoped that we would win this silly little trip.

"Yes, we'll win," Edward said confidently. My nerves were on fire as Alice reached me and I clipped my harness to the last rope. Grabbing onto the bar, I dropped my weight off the platform and soared through the air. Before I could even take a second breath, my feet were hitting the ground. I unclipped my belt and cheered Edward on as he followed after.

Just then two figures standing off to the side grasped my attention. Pulling my gaze away from Edward, I looked closely and saw that it was Carlisle and Alexander. They were whispering to one another, but looking straight at me. Alexander had this look on his face that reminded me of everyone else when they looked at me that morning. Someone who was in awe.

"Absolutely amazing," I heard Alexander say. I knew he was talking about me, and how quickly my 'transformation' was coming along. I heard Edward's feet hit the ground next to me and turned my attention away from the two men. I knew what they were saying, but didn't care all that much that very moment.

Edward and I cheered Alice on as she glided down the rope, a look of exhilaration on her face. As soon as Alice's feet touched the ground, everyone turned towards Emmett. There was only silence as he glared at the ground and threw the stopwatch and notebook down.

"Ahh!" Alice and I screamed. Cheers erupted around us, followed by laughter.

"Hey Emmett," I called to him as he turned his back to us. "I can bring you back a scoop if you'd like. Although it may be melted when we come back…"

_Not nice._

I shrugged at Edward's voice and braced myself as my vision snapped back to normal. Edward announced to everyone that class was over, and they all began to disperse.

"So, when do we go into town?" Alice asked. Edward smiled and glanced over to where Carlisle and Alexander stood.

"Next week," he said lightly. And then it occurred to me: we won on purpose.

"Did we…?" I wasn't sure how to ask the question, but Edward nodded as if he heard it all.

"Awesome," I sighed. Our victory didn't seem all that victorious anymore. Only question was, why exactly were we supposed to win?

* * *

**Hmm... I hope you all liked the chapter. Remember, I will be posting the next chapter up tomorrow (or maybe tonight, depending if my husband decides to take over the computer!) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hola everyone! First off, I want to say thank you to everyone for reviewing my last chapter. I was honestly sooo happy to see that people didn't forget about me. I had such wonderful readers, and I didn't mean to disappoint you! But I am glad to see you back and reading Silver Bay. As promised, I am uploading my next chapter veerrrrryyyy quickly :) I don't want to disappoint anyone, so there will be plenty of action and love from Edward. Don't you want Edward love? No? Well... I do, and I plan on daydreaming alllll the time haha.**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own five printers. Five. WTF...**

* * *

That night, Esme brought me a message from Carlisle. I was to meet him in the Rec Hall to go over some things. What things, though, I didn't know. So at seven forty five, I donned myself in snow boots and a thick jacket, and headed out. The girls looked at me oddly, all except for Alice, but I just shrugged. I wouldn't know how to explain anything to them.

Trudging through the snow, I made my way to the brightly lit Rec Hall. I could see through one of the windows that there was more than one person inside. My curiosity grew, and my stride became a little faster.

Opening the main door, I kicked the snow off of my shoes before entering. At first glance, I saw that I was right- there was indeed more than one person waiting for me. But it shocked me slightly to see that with Carlisle, was Jasper, Edward, and Alexander. I paused for a second before making my way to where they stood. I glanced around the empty building, feeling out of place. I'd never been in there without two hundred other students.

"Ah, good evening Bella," Carlisle greeted me. Jasper smiled at me and I felt a rush of warmth spread through my bones. I raised an eyebrow at him and his smile grew. Alexander nodded to me, his eyes still holding the same look as if he were staring at a prize.

And then Edward. He stood back from the others and stared at me. A smile flittered across that perfect mouth- a smile meant only for me. His arms were crossed over his chest, his arms flexed beneath the light blue material of his long sleeved shirt. I didn't mean to ogle him, especially in front of the others, but Edward was just too beautiful to look away.

"Hi," I managed to mutter as I literally forced myself to look away from Edward and his upper arm muscles.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we requested you to be here?" Carlisle said. I nodded, making sure my eyes didn't travel anywhere but his face.

"We would like your transformation to be completed on Wednesday." It took me a moment ti catch on to what Carlisle had said, but almost like a switch being turned on, my mouth dropped open in shock.

Wednesday.

That was only six days away.

"What do I have to do?" I finally asked quietly. I knew that I wanted this. I had thought about my non-existent life in Forks, and how miserable I was. Silver Bay made too much sense to me. The opportunity that they had laid before me was unbelievable, but I was grabbing it with both hands and not letting go.

I had the chance to live forever. Why wouldn't I accept that?

Carlisle seemed pleased that I was on board with the transformation being that soon and gestured towards the bench across from him. I sat down carefully and took a deep breath. Jasper moved to sit down next to Carlisle, but Edward came around the table to sit next to me. This pleased me immensely, but I refused to let my heart rate speed up, afraid one of them would hear it.

"We are all pleased that you've accepted this," Jasper said gently. "It means a lot to us. The only thing we really want you to do until Wednesday is to become familiarized with our kind." I cocked my head a little in question, and he took that as an okay to continue.

"For centuries, there has been documentation about transformations and encounters," Jasper said. "Basically a history." He reached down and lifted a large bag, setting it down on the table in front of him. Reaching inside, he pulled out three large books. They were at least three inches thick _each_, and looked older than the books in my hometown library. Deep down inside I knew they were probably older than my _hometown_.

"Every time a Ganduri goes through a transformation, it is documented," Carlisle spoke up. "So inside these books are takes of each and every ceremony from our clan."

"Once you've gone under your transformation," Edward cut in, "you'll write it in there." Jasper pushed all three books across the table.

"We want you to read them." My eyes grew wide, and I automatically started to shake my head.

"You want me to read…" I did a quick estimation I my head, "over three thousand pages in six days? It's not possible!" I saw Alexander step forward, opening his mouth to argue.

"It is your _duty_ to do this!" he yelled. I straightened my back, my defensive pose already in place.

"Back off," I bit out. "I'm not denying my 'duty' or whatever the hell you want to call it. I'm just saying I can't read that much that fast." He opened his mouth again and this time it was Carlisle who jumped in. I felt Edward's hand grab onto mine and squeeze.

_Ignore him_, his voice said to me.

"We know this is a lot, Bella," Carlisle said calmly, shooting Alexander a look of disapproval. "We recognize that and we are going to do whatever we can to help." I looked at the stack of books again and sighed.

"It's just that there's school, classes, mandatory activities…" I didn't know what I would do.

"She'll have to miss classes," Edward said to everyone. I let out a small laugh, thinking he was joking. But when he just stared at me, I gaped.

"No! We can just push the transformation date a week or so I guess." My mind was already pushing it back to the following week. Maybe that would be enough time.

"Absolutely not!" Alexander admonished.

"He's right," Jasper agreed with a slight glare at Alexander. "This isn't something to push off if you're able to do quickly." My mind was swimming. Did they actually expect me to sit in my room for an entire week and field questions from prying eyes?

"It's not like I can sit in my room and read all of these whole everyone goes about their business," I voiced to them. "When they're going to class in the morning and I'm just lounging around in my pajamas, they're going to think something is strange."

"We'll need to have you stay somewhere else," Edward muttered. "Still on campus, but where no one will see her." And a second later Edward sat up straight and smiled. Jasper grinned back at him as if he knew exactly what the other was thinking.

"Isolation," they both said.

Minutes later, I began to realize that the minds of Edward and Jasper frightened me. So much so that I had no words.

"Put her in isolation," Jasper said with a large smile.

"For a week," Edward said. "It's gotta be for a good reason though. Something bad enough for such an extended separation but not bad enough to where she would need expulsion or police." And then the wheels in their minds began to turn. Carlisle and Alexander joined in, and eventually I laid my head down on the wood table in exhaustion.

An hour later there were still several ideas up in the air, ranging from pretending to run away, to 'hitting' a teacher. Jasper had even volunteered to be the teacher I hit. Edward found that humorous, but it being close to ten at night, I was exhausted and damn near close to that violence. I picked my head up onto my hand, propping myself up as I yawned. I tried as hard as possible to ignore the conversation spinning around me, but just then my eyes traveled to one of the windows and I froze.

Outside the window, across the rope course, and next to the Director's house, sat a large white van with a silver tree painted on the side.

And it hit me.

"I'll steal the van," I interrupted. Edward's rant about whether I should punch Jasper or just smack him came to a halt and all four men turned to stare at me in confusion. No one seemed to understand, so I sighed and pointed out the window. All four sets of eyes followed my finger.

"I'll steal the van," I repeated. "Or rather, _pretend_ to steal it. That's enough to get me locked up, isn't it?" I looked around to see approval in each of their eyes.

"Brilliant," Carlisle said. "We just need to make sure it's public so no one has any reason to question the reasoning behind her disappearance."

_My little felon,_ Edward's voice said. I smiled, pleased with myself. I listened in as they began to plan. Tomorrow, I would become a lawbreaker.

* * *

The next morning I awoke with butterflies in my stomach. Running on three hours of sleep had not been my intention, but after getting back from our meeting, I was too nervous to sleep.

And it was now time for our plan to go into action.

"Bella, you up?" Rosalie asked. She and Dee were standing next to the door, fully dressed for the day. I took a deep breath and set my face to a look of annoyance. Trying hard not to direct the face towards them in general, I shrugged.

"Suppose so," I muttered. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and let my feet hit the floor.

"What's with you?" Dee asked, examining her fingernails with an air of impatience.

"Sick of this place," I responded with slight attitude. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun and stood, heading for the closet. "I'm sick of it all," I finished, disappearing through the door. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding when I was out of sight. I could almost imagine the looks on Rosalie's and Dee's faces, which I wanted and expected. I listened closely and heard them mutter back and forth.

"It's always the quiet ones," Dee snickered. The bedroom door opened and closed, and then there was silence.

Show time.

I quickly grabbed a bag, going through my most comfortable clothing and throwing them inside. Six days of isolation- I'd be damned if I wasn't at least going to be comfortable during that time. Once I was done 'packing', I set my bag by the end of the bed for Esme to grab. I threw on an outfit suitable for grand theft auto and peeked at my reflection. My eyes were shinning, my skin almost glowing. I had put a black outfit on again without realizing it, and I felt like I was, once again, in a Mission Impossible movie. Throwing on my snow boots, I took a deep breath and headed out of the room. I only paused once to throw a note under Alice's pillow. It read, _'It's all part of the plan. See you soon.'_

The plan was to 'sneak' over to the Director's house before everyone was done breakfast. I already had the keys to the van buried in my pocket, one step that I wouldn't have to worry about. Carlisle and Jasper would already be watching me from inside the main house so that once I started the van they would be able to 'apprehend' me.

Edward had already warned Jasper not to hurt me, which I found to be insanely adorable. But, I told them all, if we wanted to make this believable, they would have to rough me up a little. A few scratched wouldn't kill me.

So there I was, walking as calmly as possible towards that white van, my face set in to an uncharacteristic scowl. Gotta play the part.

A few people stared at me as I walked in the opposite direction, away from the Rec Hall. I made sure to keep my eyes straight, refusing to let anyone see hesitation on my face. I knew later on there would be tales of people saying they saw me, and I looked determined. It made me want to laugh.

The sound of voices became a distant murmur as I came closer to the van, and above everything else, I could even hear my own uneven breathing. From the corner of my eye I could see a slight movement in the Director's house. I glanced over and saw Jasper standing in the window, watching my every move. His arms crossed over his chest and his eyes were hard. I almost wanted to walk over to him and smack him for taking this so seriously.

"Breathe, Bella," I whispered to myself. I stopped about sex feet from the drivers' side door and stuck my hand in my pocket. I felt the metal of the key press into my palm and I wrapped my fingers around it. Glancing around, I took another step forward.

"What is she doing?" The question interrupted my mindset, and I glanced around again. My eyes fell on a group of three people standing in front of the rope course, looking over the hill at me. Instantly I was surprised that I could hear them from so far away, but I pushed the thought away. I could see the question in their eyes, and within seconds one of them left the group and headed towards the Rec Hall. I stood motionless as the one boy finally reached his destination.

Edward.

I bit back a smile as I watched Edward listen to what the boy had to say and then 'scan' the campus until he found me.

_Now_, his voice said.

I broke out of my motionless stature and grabbed onto the door handle. Swinging it open, I climbed into the leather seat and fumbled with the key. I could hear shouting in the distance, my signal that Edward was running towards me, yelling into his walkie talkie. As I turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life, I could hear one of the doors to the Director's house open, and footsteps running. My heart was slamming in my chest in anticipation.

"Bella!" I heard Jasper scream. I grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut. I didn't even have time to _pretend_ to put the car into drive, when the door was wrenched open and Jasper was there. Making sure my face was masked with anger, I lurched to my right in a vain attempt to get away, but hands grasped my arm and pulled.

I went flying out of the van and thrown onto the gravel, the wind knocked out of me. I could see Carlisle coming out of the house, running down the steps, and Edward just feet away. Behind Edward was a swarm of students. Front and center? Alice and Emmett.

I looked up and saw that Jasper was waiting for my next move, so just like that I scrambled to my feet and bolted. I could feel Jasper on me before I could even make it two feet. His arms wrapped around my torso and he lifted me slightly off the ground. My feet kicked out and when I slammed them back onto the ground I grabbed onto Jasper's arm and pushed forward.

I didn't know if it was me or if Jasper was pretending, but he _flew _over my shoulders and onto the ground. I only paused for a second before I attempted to run around his sprawled figure. But just like that another set of arms wrapped around me, followed by hands grabbing my kicking legs. Looking down, I saw that it was Carlisle holding onto my feet. Which meant Edward was behind me.

"Keep going," Edward whispered. I wrenched my face into a look of hatred and kicked my feet with all the strength I had.

"Get the fuck _off_ of me!" I screamed. I could Jasper picking himself off the ground and move to help the others. I kicked and jerked my body with all I had until Jasper somehow managed to grab my mid-section. With three full grown men holding onto me, there was no way to escape. I knew this. So I just thrashed. I didn't want to hurt anyone, even a simple bruise, but I could feel my boots connect with something solid. Probably one of Carlisle's appendages.

"Let me _go!_" I screamed. Murmurs of surprise erupted from the crowd, and I could just imagine the looks on their faces.

"Get her into Isolation!" I heard Esme scream. I bent my knees and thrust out, watching my left knee connect with Jasper's jaw. He looked down to glare at me, and I took that as my cue to cut out the actual hitting.

We began to move then as the three of them walked me towards the house and up the few stairs to the door.

"That's enough everyone!" Esme called out. "Get to where you need to be!" Within seconds the noise from the other students disappeared and we were behind the safe walls of the house.

"Keep kicking," Jasper said to me as they walked me towards the stairs. "Just don't kick me in the damned face again." I bit back the laugh that started to bubble up and silently continued to kick my legs and move my arms. Carlisle backed our way up the stairs. Edward's hands loosened their hold on me once we rounded the corner and we were out of sight. Jasper and Carlisle full blown just let me go, my lower body falling to the floor with a _thud_. Had it not been for Edward's hold on me I would have crashed to the ground.

"Graceful much?" I grunted. They all laughed as Edward gently let me go and I lay sprawled on the carpet. Taking a deep breath, I looked up to see all three of them staring down at me with smiles on their faces.

"You okay?" Edward asked me. I nodded, feeling a few ached spread through my hips. I glanced over to Jasper and my mouth dropped open. On his chin was a gash, dripping blood. I was on my feet just a second later, in his face.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed. "Did I do that? I'm so sorry!" I felt tears well up in my eyes as my gaze drifted over each of them to look for injuries.

"Bella, it's okay," Jasper soothed. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a gentle hug and squeezed. "Wish you didn't draw blood, but you made it believable." I wiped away the tears before they fell down my cheeks and was immediately encased in another hug by Edward.

"Everyone's fine," he told me. "Now, let's get you to your home away from home… away from home." He laughed at his little joke and we all began to walk towards the Isolation room. The last time I'd been there was under force, so I didn't remember much of the journey. When Carlisle stopped in front of the last door on the left side of the hall he motioned inside. I peeked in and saw that the room hadn't changed a bit. No windows, no way to the outside.

"Since you're not _technically_ in isolation, you'll have a few perks," Carlisle smiled. I nodded, thinking that I _better_ not be locked in that damned room for six days straight.

"We have to lock you in during the day," Edward said just then. My eyebrows shot up and I felt the immediately urge to argue.

"Bella," Carlisle cut me off, "we have to keep up appearances because of the other teachers. If any of them come in during the day and see you wandering the halls, red flags will be raised." He had a point. But I didn't like it.

"And at night?" I asked hopefully. The three men exchanged looks and I sighed.

"We would _like_ you to be sleeping at night," Carlisle reasoned. "But there is a second living area down the hall that has a small television and a couple of lounge chairs." I looked to where Carlisle pointed and saw the closed door. I nodded, already knowing I would probably just be staying in the Isolation room at night. No need to risk getting caught by the wrong person.

"Okay," I muttered. Just then all of the walkie talkies rang out through the hallway.

"Carlisle, we need you in the Rec Hall. Over." It sounded like Barbie.

"Okay," he said with a large smile. "I'm going to the Rec Hall, and Jasper is going to the infirmary to get that cut checked out." I heard Edward's laughter and forced myself not to join in.

"Keep laughin'," Jasper groaned. "Just you wait. Karma's a bitch." Carlisle turned to Edward.

"I want you to make sure that Bella is settled in and then attend to your morning class. I'll bring you breakfast in a bit." Inwardly I trilled at the fact that Edward would be remaining with me. Alone. Even for a few minutes.

"Yes sir," Edward said with a smile. Carlisle and Jasper disappeared around the corner and we listened as they walked down the stairs. I turned and walked into my new room and gazed around. The thousands of pages I had to read sat on the small night table, probably a friendly reminder that this was the purpose of my little felony moment outside.

"This is so not the vacation I'd hoped for," I muttered aloud as I heard the door clock behind me. I turned and smiled at Edward. He looked like me just then—dressed head to toe in black. But when my eyes met his, my smile dropped.

His eyes were dark as thunder clouds, and they were bearing into my own.

"Edward?" I whispered. He moved forward in two quick strides and had me pressed against the wall within a second. I gasped as I felt my back press flat and Edward pressed his entire body against mine. I looked at him in surprise, asking him silent questions with my eyes. I could feel him press his hips flush with mine, and I opened my eyes wide when I felt something hard press against my hip.

"Oh!" I gasped. I watched Edward's eyes close, and listened to the small groan that left his lips. A burst of heat flew through m, and I found myself pushing into him with equal force.

"Edward," I breathed. He grunted in response and lowered his forehead onto mine. With his eyes still closed, I confidently leaned up and pressed my lips to his. His tongue flicked out to graze my lips and I opened them willingly. Letting my hands roam, I slipped them beneath his black jacket and sighed at the wonderment of Edward's chest. I'd touched it before, but right now, knowing that there wasn't much to stop us, the feel of his muscles were like unchartered territory. He was magic, he was the forbidden apple… he was perfect.

Edward's fingers traced the edges of my jeans and brushed against the bare skin under my shirt. Goose bumps blossomed over every inch of my skin and I shivered in pleasure. The tips of his fingers grazed the top of my underwear, and I perked up. As much as I loved having Edward's lips caress my own in every way possible, and his hands brush over my body, I wasn't entirely sure I was ready for _that_. I wanted to be—dear God I wanted to be. And maybe I was. But I needed to sit down and think about it. Really think. That was the adult thing to do, right?

"Edward," I whispered, pulling back. His hands continued to explore, dipping further beneath my underwear line. Damn conscious.

"We have to stop," I said, barely audible even to myself, as Edward ran his nose along my jaw line.

"Okay, we'll stop," he whispered into my ear. He followed that statement with his tongue licking and then sucking hard on my earlobe. My hands gripped his shoulders, looking for something to hold onto. His warm tongue on my skin turned my insides in ways that should be illegal. As he made his way from my ear down to my neck and then to my collar bone, my conscience was gagged. We were allowed time together… we weren't necessarily going to go all the way, right?

I didn't get a chance to answer myself as Edward wrapped his arms around me and led me to the bed. I fell back on the neatly tucked comforter and gasped when I felt him fall on top of me. My shirt rode up slightly, exposing a few inches of skin, which Edward noticed immediately and zoomed in on. Sliding down my torso, he let his tongue glide over me, mixing it up with warm kisses and brushes of his nose. I was whimpering, loving every single touch. Edward chose then to slide his nose back up my stomach, hooking it on my shirt, but not forcing the clothes upwards. Sliding his body along mine, I groaned in pleasure when I felt his hips connect with mine. Opening my eyes, I looked up and held my breath. Edward was looking down at me, desire evident on his face.

"I want you," he whispered. I nodded, knowing that he wanted me, and I wanted him too. His hips ground into mine slightly, creating a friction that pressed into my jeans in just the right way that it felt like he was actually touching me.

"Don't stop," I found myself saying. My knees bent, pressing into Edward's sides, urging him on. He got the hint very quickly and continued to grind into me, pushing his length into me. We lay there for minutes… hours… days, I didn't know, his boy in sync with mine. I was in heaven, wishing suddenly that there were no clothes in between us.

And then I felt a ball of electricity in my center, growing with an unimaginable heat.

"Edward, please…" He pushed into me again and again, not slowing.

"Are you going to come?" he whispered. I was shocked he would ask so bluntly, but I nodded, not the slightest bit embarrassed. He moved faster, pushing into me over and over again.

"Edward, oh my… Edward!" And with one last push, I felt my insides curl, and I screamed aloud in pleasure. I saw stars even though my eyes were squeezed shut. Edward was only moving against me softly now, breathing hard.

"You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen," he spoke softly. I dared to open my eyes and looked down. Edward's lips were feathering kisses along my stomach… loving kisses.

"Did you?" I asked. Edward knew what I meant, and he shook his head slightly.

"No, I won't just right now. I want to wait until I'm inside you." Oh. My. God. So honest, so direct. He seemed to believe that would happen, and with his words, I suddenly knew it would. I reached over and framed his face with fingers. Looking into his eyes, I lost my train of thought for the briefest moments. The last time I had a real look at his eyes, I had noticed there were a few flecks of gold within the grey pools. But right that moment, I could swear there were more gold flecks then there were last time. I forced myself to shake the thoughts aside.

"Don't you have class to get to?" Edward laughed and nodded, pushing himself up so he could stand. He reached down and pulled me up with him.

"I have no will power when I'm around you," Edward said. I knew what he meant, and I didn't bother arguing.

"Get to class, I'm going to get settled." He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine quickly.

"I'll be back later with your lunch." I nodded, watching him leave and lock the door behind him. Every ounce of energy suddenly drained from my legs, and they could no longer hold me up. Sliding down the edge of the bed, I tucked my knees up to my chest and squeezed.

What on _earth_ was I getting myself into? Edward would surely have continued on if I had not stopped him in the beginning, and we would most likely be on the bed, half clothed. My arms shook at the thought of Edward's fingers continuing their descent into my pants. I'd never done that with _anyone_ before, and the thoughts were both exhilarating and disturbing at the same time. I could picture him slipping my pants off slowly, his lips making a trail of fire along my skin. I could _feel_ him press against me again, all of him- unclothed.

"Fuck," I muttered, my head falling down onto my knees. I was done for.

* * *

**Hmm, what has Bella gotten herself into? That little rendevous with Edward put little Eddie at full staff. Poor little Eddie. Stay tuned for the next chapter (due tomorrow!). Will Bella read all of the books that she has been told to read? Will Edward 'help' her read them? 3 Ashley**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hola people! Welcome to the next chapter - which technically should have been up last night, but with a severe cold and a system full of Nyquil... well unfortunately the need for sleeping on the couch won over working on the computer :( Sorry. BUT... this wonderful chapter includes a LEMON. Major! And I apologize in advance if there are any typos. I checked for them, but I'm still kind of out of it, so there may be some. But guess what? Someone has offered to be my beta! I feel so priviledged. I don't know if I want to use a beta for the rest of Silver Bay, because I need to post it it so quickly. Anyway... enjoy!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the charachters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own a cheap multi-colored star that is on top of my Christmas tree that my hubby absolutely LOVES :)**

* * *

I didn't see Edward at lunch; the feeling of disappointment as Esme walked through the door instead of him was greater than it should have been. But I took my tray of food, loaded down with a roast beef sandwich and a bag of chips, and smiled.

"Everything okay in here?" Esme asked me. I looked around at the small room and nodded. I was sitting on the bed with the first of the books, making my way into it as quickly as possible. I had thrown my shoes by the foot of the bed, realizing that I probably wouldn't even need to wear them for a few days. I was relaxed and focused.

"Everything is great," I told her with a smile. Esme nodded and made her way back into the hall. Before she could close the door though, I found the courage to speak up.

"When will Carlisle and the others be back?" I hoped she didn't hear my voice crack.

"Jasper has free time this afternoon; he plans on coming by to see how you're doing. And I know Carlisle is coming by with Edward sometime later tonight." I smiled at her as she closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd be back.

I devoured my lunch within minutes and lay back down on my stomach to read. But before I could read more than just the one page, I heard the lock turn on the door. Thinking it was Edward, I bolted upwards and ran my hand through my hair to smooth any loose tendrils. Instead, Esme peeked her head back in.

With Alice behind her.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed. I launched myself off of the bed and into her arms as Esme watched. I didn't care about the audience though- Alice had clearly gotten the message and gone to someone so she could see me. Alice looked at me with wide eyes and laughed.

"You really had me going this morning, ya know?" I nodded, not ashamed in the least.

"I know, but it was necessary." She nodded and sat down on the bed next to the discarded book. I did have to be careful about that though because I wasn't sure if Alice was able to know _that_ much. So I carefully marked my page and moved the book to my other side as I sat next to her.

"I'll give you two a minute," Esme said quietly, and she disappeared through the door. I was glad she left us in privacy, because there was so much I wanted to say to Alice.

"So, explain to me why stealing the school's van was part of a plan?" Straight and to the point.

"Well," I sighed, "Carlisle sent for me last night to tell me that my ceremony would be held on Wednesday. I could see the calculating in Alice's eyes, and her brows rose when her mouth dropped open.

"In just six days?" she whispered. I nodded. "Wow."

"Yep. So I have to do reading and what not to prepare myself for then. History things." Alice looked at me with appraising eyes.

"Good luck with that. Would hate to read the history of a bunch of birds." We laughed, and I realized then how much I missed her.

"Sorry I couldn't tell you before now," I said. Alice reached over and took my hand.

"It's okay. I won't lie and say that this morning wasn't a huge surprise, you know, because I thought you were okay with the school. Especially with me and Edward. But when I found the note and half your clothes gone, I understood. Of course I just had to go to Jasper to get some answers." Her shit eating grin left enough to my imagination.

"You didn't!" I gasped. Alice just laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." We continued to talk until Esme popped her head back into the room. Alice took that as her cue to leave and gave me a hug.

"I'll see you soon, maybe before Wednesday." I nodded, suddenly teary eyed. I waved good bye and listened as the locks slid back into place. Pulling the book back out, I resumed my position on the bed with a sigh. So much for being focused.

The others had been right when they said everything was documented. At first I didn't see how any of this would help me, but then I saw how they wrote everything like a journal. I knew what they all felt, what they said afterwards and even if they _wanted_ it or not. Apparently some people over a thousand years ago didn't get the choice.

After two hours of reading, I came to a page that caused me to stop. No words- just a picture. The picture was of a young girl, dark flowing hair. I couldn't tell the color of her eyes, but the way the artist shaded them made me believe they were a bright color. Large wings spanned behind her, coming up and around her shoulders like a blanket. They had the same shading as her eyes, making me feel uneasy.

I stared at that picture until I felt the prick of tears in the corner of my eyes. Blinking quickly, I wiped them away. What was with me? Why would such a simple picture cause me to stop and stare so intently? My fingers came out and brushed against the dark lines of the girls' face, and I sighed. She looked fierce, powerful- _confident_. Looking down, I saw the date etched onto the paper. 422 B.C.

"Wow."

Turning the page quickly, I read the passage.

_My dreams are of the future, a future meant to help guide all Ganduri's. I have dreamt of the impossible. No, not impossible. It is the gift of life, of love. She came to me in my dreams, her eyes as gold as the rays of sun. Her dark hair flowing like water from the ocean waves. She has wings, more grand than any of us. Gold as her eyes._

_She looked at me and smiled. I knew then that she was not the same as I. She had gifts that none of us would ever dream of. I reached out to touch her hand and felt the fire._

_"Forever," she whispered to me. "I am forever." She repeated it to me until the gold of her eyes melted into my soul. She was forever. Not just a thousand years. Forever._

_"Immortality," I had breathed to her. "Immortality." The woman smiled at me and I knew that I was right. She was not like us at all. She was a woman Ganduri and she would be more powerful than all of us._

_She would be immortal._

I slid a bookmark onto that page and closed the cover, the image of the girl still in my mind.

That was supposed to be me. That _was_ me. My eyes roamed the room blindly, stopping when they saw the bathroom mirror. I looked at my reflection, suddenly analyzing every detail about me. Looking into my own eyes, I could feel what I felt when I looked at the drawing- power. Except... this time the power was coming from me.

My breathing became shallow as I stared at my reflection; so many years ago they had known I was coming. A prophecy giving people a sliver of hope that they would find this girl. Was it fate that Ryan had died, bringing me here? Was it fate that first day that Esme recommended me to the leadership class, therefore leading me to Edward?

As my head began to spin, I felt a feeling of exhilaration mixed in with awe. The 'what if's' began to come out, and it made me wonder what would have happened if Ryan had never seen those bruises on my arms that night. What if he had and I hadn't gone with him? What if there had been no deer in the road? What if I hadn't gotten expelled?

It was meant to be. I knew this now. The feeling in the pit of my stomach, the heavy feeling, began to burn. I could feel the sensation flow into my fingers and down to my feet. I looked around in panic. _What was that?_ Just then I heard feet hit the stairs on the first floor. They pounded down on the step, one by one, until they reached the second floor. I could hear the speed behind the steps, all of the person's weight on the front of their feet. Within seconds I heard a rushing sound in my ears—a sound identical to waves crashing against rocks.

"Oh my God," I whispered. I slid off the side of the bed and stood, staring down at my hands as the burning sensation increased. I was on fire, a human inferno. The door flew open, and my head shot up. Edward stood there, eyes wide, limbs trembling, and covered from head to toe in a golden glow.

"Edward!" I half yelled. He looked around and finally laid his eyes back on me.

"Bella… you're—" and then he just stared. My head swiveled back to the mirror and I gasped. I, too, was glowing.

"I'm burning," I moaned. "Make it stop!" He rushed forward, his hands fluttering over my arms.

"Your arms are on fire, Bella!" His discovery that I was not the only one feeling the heat made the feeling of panic grow.

And then we weren't alone. Behind Edward stood Carlisle and Jasper. They stared at me like a side show in a carnival, surprise and shock very evident in their eyes. The only thing that had grabbed my attention to the full extent was that they _weren't _glowing like Edward.

"Carlisle!" I screamed. He sprung forward and Jasper closed the door behind him, rushing to Edward's side.

As Carlisle paused next to me, I took a deep breath and tried to lower my heart rate. I could feel the impending snapping of my vision, and I needed it to hold off for just a bit. I could _not_ deal with that on top of all other things.

And like someone injected me with something, the feeling of elation within me overtook all other emotions.

_What was happening to me?_ I asked myself.

"I don't know," Edward said quickly, looking at my hands which were still glowing, "but we're going to figure it out." I stopped breathing. When I started again, it was in double time. My eyes settled on Edward, unwavering as I realized he had answered my unspoken question.

The ecstasy in me rushed through my blood and exploded like a bomb deep in my chest. I closed my eyes at the recoil and almost cried with relief at the burning that began to cool. Almost like ice water injected into my veins after lava.

I opened my eyes to see all three of them staring at me in shock. Edward was no longer framed in that golden aura.

"What happened?" I whispered. Edward and Jasper looked over to Carlisle, which was somehow expected.

"Tell me what happened before we came in, and then we'll figure out why you've changed again."

"Again?" I screeched. I looked through the bathroom archway and to the mirror, gasping for the millionth time that day.

My hair had a golden sheen to the dark strands, making it look like I had added highlights. My eyes were dark gold—almost a light brown. I could even still see the halo that had surrounded me. Looking back at Edward, I was still perplexed as to why he was no longer glowing.

I pointed to the open book on the bed and quickly told them what had happened. I expected surprise and confusion. Instead, Carlisle grinned.

"Acceptance!" he said, clapping his hands together once. Edward didn't seem to follow what he meant, but Jasper's eyes widened slightly.

"What?" I questioned. My legs felt weak, so I stepped back until I could sit on the bed. "What do you mean by 'acceptance'?" Carlisle stepped forward and picked up the book, sitting beside me with it in his hands. He pointed to the picture of the girl I had been staring at, and then pointed to me.

"This is you," I said simply. I rolled my eyes.

"So I've gathered." He laughed and continued. Flipping the page he pointed to a passage that I hadn't gotten to yet.

"Read." So I did.

_"Finding the woman is only the first step in my vision. She will only be a Ganduri, just like us all. She is destined for great power. Power beyond anyone's dreams. She will only receive this power, though, if she reaches true acceptance. Acceptance of her purpose. Acceptance of her meaning to our world. If she truly believes that she belongs with us, it will open a gate of power not only to her, but to her clan as well."_

I swallowed hard and forced my breathing to remain the same.

"You're my clan, correct?" I whispered. Carlisle nodded. "Is this what has happened to me? Acceptance?" Again, Carlisle nodded.

"I truly believe you have accepted your fate." _There's that word again. _"I don't know exactly the mind set you were in or exactly what you were thinking at the time but it seems to me that you are one step closer to the transformation." And then the questions started.

"Do you feel any different?" Jasper asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't think so. I guess I feel _happier_ about everything in general, not as scared." Jasper nodded, a strange look on his face.

"But physically?" Carlisle pressed. "Do you feel a change?" I nodded immediately.

"My body temperature has gone down, I can feel it." Edward reached out and put his hand on my neck.

"When I came in her skin was on fire," he told Carlisle. "Now she feels almost cold. Maybe it's a defense mechanism? So that others can't locate her body heat?" No comment to that. I realized Carlisle only nodded. As Edward removed his hand from my neck, I almost whimpered.

"Anything else?" Carlisle asked me quietly. I opened my mouth to question why Edward had answered my silent question before, but something told me to stay quiet about that—at least for now.

"No, nothing," I answered. The three men talked for a few minutes while I remained motionless on the bed. I didn't listen to their conversation, and quickly became lost in my own thoughts. All of these thoughts were of Edward and I, and the fact that we could read each other's thoughts. And the fact that the two of us were the only ones who had this golden aura. It made me want to laugh, the insanity of it all. How in the _world_ was I developing all these new powers when I hadn't even begun the transformation I needed to go under? All that had changed was my intake of serum. Was I that destined for this that my body would jump into this so quickly?

The speaker on all of their radios cracked and Esme's voice echoed through the room.

"Dinner in ten." I laughed.

"Is that how they get you all together? It's like herding cattle." Edward chuckled and ruffled my hair gently. I blushed slightly at his public display of affection.

"Let's get going," Carlisle said to them, standing. He turned to me and smiled again.

"Bella, it gives us great pleasure that you've accepted this. It goes without saying that we are very excited about Wednesday." I didn't know what to say, so I only smiled.

"We'll head down for dinner, and I'll have someone bring you your meal."

"I'll bring it," Edward offered immediately. "And then maybe help her with some of the reading." Carlisle looked at me, almost asking me if I was okay with that. I kept my fake calm and nodded in agreement. From Edward's side I could see Jasper stifle a laugh at how obvious Edward and I were. Thank God Carlisle was oblivious.

As they all backed out of the door, Edward turned and winked. When the lock clicked shut I dropped back onto the bed. The silence was deafening and I forced my mind to clear.

That was, until it occurred to me that Edward would be back in less than one hour. And he would be staying for a while. I squeaked and jumped up, not sure what exactly I should do. So I started with a shower.

I went to the bathroom and turned on the water as hot as I could stand. I needed to let my muscles relax, and this was the quickest way I knew how.

As I washed my hair, I took deep breaths. I was beginning to see that Edward meant more to me than I thought possible. What stared off as a mutual attraction was now something that took over all of my senses. My heart pounded for him. I could hear his words in my mind, which was now becoming more than that. Since that first kiss, I longed to taste his tongue on mine. Every time I saw him, I saw nothing else—he was becoming my world. Even the slightest touch of his skin on mine erupted every emotion within me.

I loved him.

I froze under the hot spray, soap dripping down my arms.

_I loved him!_

"Oh my God," I said to myself.

_You've been in the shower for a long time. I hope everything is okay," _I heard Edward's voice and jumped. Turning around blindly, I looked through the glass walls of the shower. I saw nothing and breathed a sigh of relief that I was alone. Had I really been in there that long? He must have rushed back…

And then I had an idea. Edward had heard my voice in his head earlier, and clearly our connection had evolved. At one point Edward had thought he needed to be looking at me for me to hear his voice. But now, he could say things to me from behind walls.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I imagined Edward's face and thought the words in my head.

_Everything is fine. Just realizing a few things._

I opened my eyes and waited. I heard a loud _thud_ come from the bedroom.

_How did you do that? When?_ I grinned. He heard me! I finished rinsing off the soap and turned off the water. Opening the door, I grabbed the towel and rubbed my hair dry with it. When it was dry enough to where it wasn't dripping, I wrapped it around my body and I stared at the door. I was about to walk out there, in front of Edward, in only a towel.

I mentally smacked myself for forgetting my pajamas in the other room, but raised my chin and opened the door with whatever confidence I could muster.

Edward was standing next to the bed, pacing with a look of disbelief on his face. When he heard me walk in, his mouth dropped open.

"How did you do that?" he asked. I shrugged, noticing the plate of food behind him. It was completely loaded down with sandwiches and other snacks.

"Is all of that for me?" I questioned. Edward shook his head.

"No, half is for me. I figured I'd eat with you. How did you do that?" I smiled at him and moved to sit down on the bed next to the food.

"Earlier, when everything was going on, I was thinking 'what is happening to me?'" Edward gasped again.

"You mean you didn't say that out loud?"

"Nope." I smiled again.

"Wow." Edward ran his hand through his hair and stared at me. Self-conscious, I kept one hand at the top of the towel, holding it tight to my front. I should probably have gotten up and dressed but I wanted to see how long I'd be able to sit there without feeling completely uncomfortable.

Just like that, Edward must have realized what I was wearing- or lack thereof. But before he could say anything I reached for one of the plates and took a bite of the tuna sandwich.

"Do you think it has to do with my 'advancement' in my transformation?" I chewed silently as Edward glanced around the room before sitting on the ground by my feet. I didn't even bother telling him to sit on the bed next to me- I didn't have the guts.

"I think so," he finally replied as he, too, picked up a sandwich and bit into it. He swallowed and wiped his mouth before speaking again.

"Carlisle says that even before you go through the transformation ceremony, you'll have more powers than any other Ganduri. It's a complete mystery to what you'll be like after Wednesday." That piece of information caught my attention.

"You mean I could be completely different after this?" I hoped he couldn't hear the worry in my voice. He nodded, taking another large bite from his sandwich.

"What if I change so much that I won't be able to go back to classes? What will we tell people?" Edward's eyes locked to mine and I knew then that he had caught onto my panic.

"Bella, I really don't think you'll be different in that sense. I just mean that you'll have abilities that you didn't have before. You might not be able to control it all right away." He paused and looked around. "Or, you might be a complete natural and surpass all expectations." I flushed as I finished off my sandwich and opened a bottle of iced tea.

"What about you?" I dared to ask. "Will you still like me?" Edward froze, staring at me with a smile. He set his sandwich to the side and rose to his feet. My stomach seized up and my heart raced as he sat next to me on the bed.

"Bella, you are a magnificent person. You are beautiful inside and out. Truthfully, even if you weren't a Ganduri, my attraction to you would be the same. Actually, we'd probably have approached all of this a tad bit differently." I laughed with him, blushing at his words.

"So you'd like me even if I would grow older than you in a few short years? Even if the Ganduri species never existed?" I was pushing it, I was aware of that. But I was being forward- but sometimes that's the only way to find out information. Edward leaned forward, his eyes shining bright in the overhead light. His hair was damp from what I assumed to be snow outside, and a thick lock of the bronze hung over his left eyes. My eyes flickered down to his lips, as pink as the blush that surely still covered my skin.

"I would love you no matter what," he said, a split second before his lips crashed to mine. Bells went off in my head, and with shocking realization it occurred to me that Edward just told me that he loved me.

I deepened the kiss, my tongue battling with his as his hand found its way into my damp hair. One caress after another, I traveled into oblivion. My hands gripped onto the white sweater he wore, and I wondered if he would mind me tearing it off of his body.

That's when I pulled back. Edward's eyes slowly opened, his breath gradually returning to normal.

"Bella?" he whispered. I swallowed thickly and stood, forcing my hands to let his sweater go.

"I have to- um, I have to…" I couldn't formulate a sentence, so I turned towards the dresser. I needed my pajamas. I needed to be wearing something besides a towel. Opening the top drawer, I grabbed the first pant and shirt ensemble I could lay my hand on and slammed the door shut.

Something settled onto my right shoulder and I turned my head slightly to see Edward's hand resting there. Skin on skin. And then there were lips. Edward's lips laying feather light kisses onto my shoulder, his hot breath washing over my skin.

"Edward," I whispered, trying hard to find the phrase to make him stop. But as I watched his lips travel over the dip in my collar bone, I forgot that phrase.

"Yes?" he muttered. I swallowed hard and leaned into his touch. I could feel his chest against my back, hard muscles pressed into me.

Edward then put his hands on my shoulders and turned me slowly. My eyes fluttered open, and watched as his eyes grew dark with want. They lowered from my eyes, down to my mouth, and then down to the top of the towel.

Edward's words were still at the front of my mind, and I knew then that I could say it, and it would be okay.

"I love you," I whispered to him. Tears flooded my eyes, and I waited to hear what he had to say.

His hand rose up to my face, caressing my cheek. I leaned into his touch, my eyes never leaving his. Slowly, his hand moved to my neck and then he traced a finger along the lining of the towel. My heart was pounding, and I knew he could hear it.

Glancing down, I watched as his fingers played with the towel like a stringed instrument. Looking back up, I met his gaze and held. I refused to look away from him, afraid my vulnerability might be too pronounced.

And then Edward did one of the last things I thought he would do.

His pointer finger pulled at the knot I had created with the towel, and it fell to the ground. I gasped, moving to cover myself. I had never… _never_ gone to that point in my mind for tonight. But…

"I love you, too," Edward whispered, a loving smile on his lips. I froze.

_But…_ the possibilities were endless. Whether I realized it or not, the decision was made when I walked out of the bathroom in only a towel.

Edward and I remained still, him waiting for my reaction. Swallowing hard, I ignored the fact that I was standing in front of him completely naked. And with one surprisingly steady hand, I reached up and laid it on his cheek. His skin was amazingly warm, and I watched in wonder as he leaned into my touch as I had his. I gave myself a small pep talk and glanced down to his sweater. If I was going to be unclothed, he would be too. My hand began to shake as I pulled it away from his cheek, and Edward opened his eyes in question.

"Bella?" I smiled and let my fingers play with the bottom of his sweater. Edward smiled at me and leaned in to plant a small kiss on my lips.

And in one motion, I lifted his sweater up. Edward worked with me and raised his arms so I could remove the sweater all together. Throwing it aside, I stared at his bare chest, heart thumping wildly in my chest.

"Are you sure?" I asked him suddenly. Edward nodded and pulled me close to him, arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace. The feeling of my bare chest pressed against his was the single most amazing thing I'd ever experienced.

Until his hands started to travel, brushing along my back and on the sides of my breasts. I gasped quietly as his thumbs glided over each of my nipples, causing my skin to become alive with goose bumps.

I felt Edward move us backwards, and then were next to the bed. He stepped away from me for the briefest moments and moved the books and food tray off of the bed. He then sat down on the edge and pulled me in between his legs. I felt self-conscious as Edward leaned his forehead against my stomach and stilled.

"Edward?" I dared to speak. His head moved and his eyes found mine. I could see the smallest about of hesitation on his face, and it occurred to me that he might be as nervous as me.

"I've never done this before," he said. My mouth dropped open slightly in shock. He had said the exact same thing I was going to say.

"Never?" I asked. His hands lay lightly on my hips and he smiled slowly.

"No, never." And suddenly my vulnerability disappeared. Leaning down, I kissed him slowly. When I pulled away I made sure he was looking directly at me before I spoke.

"Me neither." We gazed at each other for a few moments, our hearts beating together. And then Edward grinned.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me feel," he admitted, just before his lips were on mine again. I leaned into his kiss, trembling as his hands moved their way up to my chest again. I licked Edward's bottom lips just as he squeezed my breasts, and I let out the softest squeal. Chuckling, Edward grasped my hips and moved me to lie on the bed. Again, I moved to cover myself, but he swatted my hands and gazed down at me.

I lay there on the bed, hair sprawled on the sheets, as Edward grazed his fingers along my skin. His eyes were burning as he stared down at me, and I felt the blush on my skin again.

_I_ was making him look like that. _Me._

Edward then placed his jean clad knee between my legs, causing me to spread them slightly. I still couldn't believe that he was able to see all of me. Unbelievable. Leaning down, Edward began to lay his lips on my skin, kiss after kiss. My fingers weaved into his hair, and I arched slightly into his touch.

"So beautiful," he whispered against my skin. His lips traveled lower still, his tongue darting out to caress the skin around my navel. When Edward paused, I let out an involuntary whimper and opened my eyes. He was looking up at me, a small smirk on his face.

"I've never done this before," I said again, "but I bet you taste absolutely divine." And in one swift motion, Edward ran his tongue directly across my slit.

"Oh!" I gasped, my grip gone from his hair and now gripping his forearms that were surrounding me. His tongue was cold and smooth as it made its way up the inside of my thigh, stopping just before he touched my center again.

And then he stopped.

"Please," I whimpered, "Edward, please." I could feel his body tremble and his eyes met mine.

"I love it when you say my name like that." I watched as he dipped his head down, eyes on mine, and touched me with his tongue again. Arching into him, I closed my eyes and reveled in the feeling of his lips moving. His tongue dipped into my heat and licked along my clit, creating a pattern. I realized then that I was moaning and bit down on my bottom lip to quiet myself.

"You taste so sweet," Edward whispered over my skin. I raised my left hand and crashed it into his hair, wanting to feel closer to him than I already was. I gripped his head and started moving my hips against his mouth. The motion created a feeling that, combined with Edward's master touch, shot fireworks behind my closed eyelids.

The only boyfriend I'd ever had was Ryan, and only once had I let him touch me there. I had reached orgasm, but not like this. Edward had sent me right over the edge, and I was in a sudden state of euphoria.

"Oh my... oh my God _Edward!_" I felt his lips suck down tightly on me as I rode it out. Edward raised his head and gently grasped my hand, releasing my fingers from his hair. As I tried to catch my breath he rose to his feet and stood before me, staring down at me with a look of hunger.

"I love you, Bella Swan," he said. My eyes grew wide and my eyes prickled with unshed tears. He sounded so truthful, so absolute. Like there was nothing in the world that would tell him otherwise.

"I love you too, Edward Masen," I managed to whisper. He then reached down and undid the top button on his jeans. My heart pounded loudly in my chest as I watched him, not wanting to miss a single movement he made.

Slowly, Edward's fingers lowered the zipper. Beneath it lay grey boxer briefs, which poorly hid the erection that strained to get free.

"Are you sure?" Edward took my words. "We can wait until another time…" I shook my head and gazed at Edward so he would know this was what I wanted.

_I want you. I need you. Please, Edward,_ I said to him silently. He smiled and nodded, lowering his jeans and kicking them off to the side. I stared at Edward and felt my heart skip a beat. There was no blushing; there was no need to cover any of myself. As my eyes wandered over his chest and even lower to where the small amount of chest hair disappeared under his boxers, I felt the familiar tickle in my eyes. Before I could even react to what I knew was happening, my eyes snapped and everything that was already clear was now zoomed in and so _pristine_, that I could see the blonde hairs on Edward's hips.

"Oh my," I whispered. Edward blushed slightly and I smiled. I watched as he leaned down and set his hands on the bed, crawling over me. My eyes kept drifting back to the bulge in his boxers, wondering exactly what he looked like. Edward leaned down and lightly planted kisses across my stomach, traveling upwards until he stopped under my breasts. Glancing at me once more, his tongue flicked out and over my left nipple. I arched into him and moaned when his length pressed into me.

I wanted him side of me. I wanted him to be the one. The only one.

"Edward," I whispered in his ear as he kissed along my neck.

"Mmm," he muttered. His tongue flickered out right at my pulse point.

"Please, I need you." He licked my flesh once more and lifted his eyes to mine. "Please." He nodded, never moving his gaze. I watched as he shifted his body, and using one hand, pushed his boxers down. I held my breath, trying to memorize this movement, second by second. When I heard the cloth hit the floor, I took a deep breath. We were naked. Flesh on flesh.

I looked down and stared at Edward. Although I had nothing to compare him to, I knew he was large. Edward's body was long, lean and beautiful. His skin was tan, so even and smooth that I questioned his lack of tan lines.

His hand traveled down my stomach and he dipped his fingers in my folder, sliding along the wetness.

Edward aligned himself with my entrance and paused. I closed my eyes, not wanting my rubber band vision to distort this moment for me.

"Read?" he whispered. I nodded and shifted, my body begging for his touch. After only a moment's hesitation, I felt the tip of Edward's penis slip inside me. My teeth clenched together and I drew in a sharp hiss of breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, quickly becoming adjusted to the feel of him in me. My mind was racing, still unable to wrap around what was happening. I could hear his breath spike, and I opened my eyes to see that not only were my eyes back to normal, but Edward was watching my every move. I slowly shifted my hips and forced him further inside of me. He let out a soft moan, and I reveled in the feeling of him sliding deeper. Only when I felt the smallest amount of pain did I stop moving, and then I knew that he had reached my barrier.

"Quick and easy," I told him. Edward didn't seem sure of himself and I watched him hesitate. Smiling I rested one of my hands on his cheek. "Quick and easy."

He took a breath and pushed.

Honestly, it felt like someone had taken two of my fingers and pushed them apart. The feeling of my skin stretching. Not pleasant, but not the excruciating pain I was expecting.

Edward stopped again and steadied his breathing. We didn't speak, and as soon as the pain started to dull, I began to move against him. He slid in and out of me easily, creating a friction. I felt Edward come up on his forearms and, looking up, I met his gaze. He leaned down, planting his mouth over mine as he moved.

It didn't take long for the sensation to increase in my abdomen, and I hitched my leg over Edward's to get him to go deeper.

"Bella, I'm not going to last long," he whispered. I didn't want any of it to end, so I grabbed his arms and pushed. Looking up, Edward pulled out of me in confusion. The loss of contact caused me to whimper and I pushed on Edward's chest to make him roll over. Once he was on his back, I climbed over him and looked down to his face. A layer of sweat covered his forehead and his eyes were half closed. I never wanted to look away from him.

Moving back slightly, I positioned over him and grabbed hold of his length to steady myself. Slowly, I slid over him, watching his face relax in pleasure. His eyes never left mine, and I began to move. As I moved up and down, we held each other's gaze. I listened to the sound of our bodies slide against each other, and to the sound of Edward's soft moans. I lay one of my hands on his chest, running my finger nails over his skin. Edwards's hands rose to my chest and his thumbs raked over my nipples. With the new sensation, I felt the tightening in my stomach.

"Edward," I moaned, "I'm going to." His left hand came down and he pressed his thumb against my clit as he pushed up harder.

"Oh!" I groaned, and just like that I was seeing stars. I bit my lip to keep from screaming, and I leaned back as Edward continued to slam into me. Mere seconds later he pushed up and his eyes closed. I could feel warmth inside of me, and I leaned forward quickly to kiss him.

Both of us breathing hard, we lay there. We were still connected, neither of us wanting to separate. Only when my breathing calmed did I lift myself off of him and lay on my back.

"That was unbelievable," Edward said. I looked at him in a daze and nodded. He was right; it was absolutely amazing. Edward then turned on his side and lay his arm over my stomach. Setting his head on my shoulder, he planted kisses over my skin.

I was in heaven. Absolutely blissful.

Until Edward shot up in the bed and stared at the door in horror.

"Shit!" he whispered. I watched as he jumped up and grabbed his pants.

"What's wrong?" I asked. For a moment I thought he regretted what we had just done, and I reached for one of the blankets to cover up.

"Clothes, now!" Edward hissed. I looked on in confusion until I heard what he heard.

Footsteps on the stairs.

I listened hard and heard that it was Jasper. He was talking into his walkie talkie with Carlisle.

"He must still be in with Bella, I'll check," he was saying. I jumped up and grabbed my towel that lay discarded on the floor. Wrapping it around myself I looked around in panic. Edward was almost done getting dressed, but his hair was sticking in every different direction and looked (how do the guys say it?) thoroughly fucked.

"Edward!" I whispered. He pulled his shoes on his feet and turned to me. His eyes softened for the briefest moments, but he rushed forward and pulled a set of my pajamas out of the dresser.

"Put these on," he said. I heard Jasper's foot hit the top step and I dropped the towel. Jasper was at the door before I finished pulling on the pants.

_Knock, knock_.

"Just a minute!" I called. I fumbled with the shirt.

"Bella, it's Jasper. Is Edward in there with you?" I couldn't find the damn holes for my arms.

"Yeah, just a second!" I called out. Edward stood, frozen, head going back and forth between me and the door.

"Bella?" Jasper called again through the door. I could hear the crackling of the walkie talkie, and Carlisle asking again where Edward was. My heart was pounding as I pushed one arm into the shirt and struggled to find the other holes.

And then the door started to open. My head snapped up in horror, and I watched as Edward lunged forward to shove it closed. In a vain attempt, I raised my left hand, but I was a good five feet away from the door.

"Wait!" I shouted at Jasper.

And just like that, I watched as a wave rippled through the air, almost like a distortion of water, and flew towards the door. Edward, who was still in motion to close the door, flew back onto the floor, sliding on the carpet until he hit the wall with a loud _bang_. The door slammed shut, causing Jasper to yell out in surprise.

Edward's head rose slowly, eyes trained on me in shock. My eyes mirrored his, and I just stood there, topless, silent, and slowly starting to panic.

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**What has Bella's powers evolved to? Will there be more to come? (Also... bow chicka bow bow!) 3 Ashley **


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello there fellow fan fic people :) It's Friday night and I'm in a fabulous mood... and I owe that all to Twilight fanfic. Not the fact that my daughter took a blue marker and colored on the couch *CRINGE* Anyway, here is the next chapter - and again, if there are any typos I am sooo sorry. I looked for them, but I'm human, things slip by.**

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**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own a nifty coffee mug that has a quote on the side: "Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but with we did not."**

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With my shirt now on correctly, I bypassed the crumpled Edward and opened the door to reveal Jasper. He stared at me in confusion, rubbing his nose; the door must have slammed into him. But without giving him another thought, I reached out and grabbed the walkie talkie that was still in his left hand. Pressing the button on the side I opened my mouth calmly and spoke.

"Carlisle, come in." Static.

"Yes?"

"What is your location?" I said, my voice only breaking once.

"Dining hall," he responded, his voice clearly unsure as to who was requesting his location. But there would be too many people there to see me. I thought quickly.

"Meet me halfway to the house," I said, and threw the device back at Jasper. Without another look at either him or Edward, who was now off the floor and staring at me from the doorway. I walked towards the stairs. My mind was a cluster fuck at that very moment, and my stomach was in knots. When Edward had hit that wall, I wanted nothing more to sit in the corner and cry. But I needed answers. Immediately.

Was this one of those _advances_ that they were talking about? Would _more_ things happen to me?

I hit the bottom level of the house before I realized I didn't have shoes or a jacket. I didn't care. Opening the door, I stepped in the cold air and headed towards the Rec Hall. My feet became instantly numb on the frozen ground. I could hear Jasper and Edward chasing after me, but I calmly continued.

Finally I saw Carlisle's figure running towards me, a look of panic on his face. _Gee, how much did I know that feeling?_ I knew then that Jasper had called back to Carlisle and told him I was coming.

"Bella, you can't be out here!" he called. When he reached me I stopped and stared. Calmly.

"I want to know what exactly is happening to me. I want to know if anything _else_ is going to happen. Now." He looked baffled, breaking my eye contact when Edward and Jasper finally reached us.

"We need to get back inside," Carlisle told them. Not me. Like I was an idiot, someone that needed to be handled.

"Now," I said again, louder. When he shook his head, something in me snapped. My adrenaline started pumping and my teeth clenched together in anger.

"Tell me _now_!" I yelled. I raised my hands instinctively just as my vision snapped. I felt a weight in my hands, like I was holding something. When I reached for Carlisle, the weight shot outwards and I saw the distortion in the air. It pushed into Carlisle and sent him flying backwards. Unlike Edward though, Carlisle arched into the air and landed back on his feet. I could see the centuries of movement in the way he moved, and had it been any other moment, any other day, I would have stopped and stared in awe.

"Bella!" he roared, his eyes glowing. "Inside, now!" I felt hands circle each of my arms, pulling me backwards.

_Carlisle didn't seem surprised. At all. He knew... he knew!_

It was a mantra being chanted in my head as Edward and Jasper dragged me back towards the house. I was in complete shock. The image of Carlisle flipping in the air and landing on his feet repeated in my mind, catching me off guard time and time again. I listened as Jasper spoke to Edward, and blocked them out when they started telling me that everything would be okay, and that everything would eventually make sense, and for me not to worry. My eyes were trained on Carlisle as he dusted himself off, visibly calming himself. Only when the two had dragged me up the stairs and out of sight did I use all of my strength I had to pull away from them.

"Bella, you need to calm down," Jasper said. I could feel him try to use his gift against me, but I pushed it away.

"Don't force that on me," I said through gritted teeth. Jasper paused for a second and then nodded. I immediately felt the warm sensation disappear.

"Bella, sweetie," my head turned towards Edward, and I was motionless. Did he know that he was surrounded by a gold aura?

"Edward?" I said quietly. He smiled and nodded, stepping forward and pulling me into a hug. He understood me, understood why I was acting this way. He would help me comprehend everything else.

"I'm scared," I admitted.

"We know," Jasper answered. Edward held me while Jasper patted me gently on the arm—his only way of comforting me that didn't involve messing with my emotions.

Only a couple of minutes went by when Carlisle made his way up the stairs to us. I didn't apologize for how I acted, because the look of guilt he carried was still there. He was still keeping something from me.

"Let's go into my suite to continue this," Carlisle offered. Edward immediately turned me in the opposite direction of Isolation down the hall, and to a set of double doors. No one hesitated before going through the doors, and I let my eyes wander.

His room was _very _large, and it fit the term 'suite' very well. A king sized bed sat on a platform against the far wall, making a wonderful centerpiece to the room. Several dressers lined the walls, as well as pictures and lamps. I could tell immediately that it was not decorated by a man. A couch and oversized chair cornered the room with book shelves and a television next to them. Carlisle could probably come in here and not emerge for weeks.

Edward lead me to the couch where he set me in the middle. He sat to my left and Jasper sat to my right while Carlisle sat in the overstuffed chair. There was tension between us all, but I ignored it and just stared straight at Carlisle. He stared back at me, our eyes never wavering. Seconds ticked by and he took a deep breath, finally deciding to speak.

"We have to do the ceremony tonight." A smile flickered across my lips because I only heard his statement as a joke. But his face remained stoic and Edward only shifted in his spot. No one laughed, and no one argued.

"Excuse me?" I spat out. This. Was. A joke.

"You heard me," he whispered. I moved to stand, but both Edward and Jasper placed their hands on my thighs to keep me in place.

"But I'm not ready!" I screeched. "I haven't read all of the material! I've read only one days' worth, and I haven't learned anything… and I … I can't…" I was scrambling for reasons. Anything. Anything to get him to change his mind.

"I have already called Alexander," Carlisle continued. "He is on his way." I tried to stand again, but the dynamic duo only tightened their grip.

"Sit," Jasper ordered. I could hear the stress in his voice. I was not the only one affected by this.

"Why?" I asked Carlisle, tears in my eyes. I knew it was going to happen, but rushing into it like this had not been an option. I was supposed to have almost a week, but I had mere hours- minutes really.

"Your body is not capable of handling the change." I couldn't grasp what that meant. My mind was scrambled, blood pulsing in my temples. A headache was appearing quickly.

"Your body is the body of a mortal," he began. "When we started giving you the serum, your body began to change, taking on characteristics of a Ganduri. Characteristics that no mortal can withstand. Any strain your body endures is usually unnoticeable. But your transformation has gone beyond any of our expectations." I felt the tears fall from my eyes and down my cheeks.

"So you're saying that if I don't go through the ceremony _now…_" Carlisle didn't finish my sentence right away. He just looked at me and nodded once.

"We never thought you would gain this many abilities this quickly. We've never had someone even come close to what you can do. But if you continue on this path for any longer, in your mortal body…" Carlisle looked down and cleared his throat. Looking at me again, he sighed.

"If you continue on this path, in your mortal body, you will die."

There was silence. Out of respect, they said nothing so I could let this sink in. Minutes passed, I was sure.

But when the words were spoken, my mind quit on me. The tears stopped flowing, and my face went slack. My heart rate slowed, all adrenaline gone. My fingers were clenched into fists, but now motionless on my sides.

I didn't sign up for this. I didn't ask to die at the age of seventeen.

"Bella, we need you to understand the importance of the situation." I felt my head nod to Carlisle.

"I understand," I said to him. He looked surprised at my words; looked like he didn't believe me.

"Bella," he pressed. "I know this is a lot to take in, and there's so much being thrown at you." He was right. A lot _was_ being tossed at me. And all I kept thinking was that I could stop taking the serum and the old Bella would be back. I could go to classes and on my eighteenth birthday I could leave. I would grow old and die in sixty or seventy years.

Edward's fingers squeezed my leg and I turned to look at him. His mysterious eyes stared into my soul—the silver and gold asking me if I was okay.

I could step back and tell them I didn't want to do it anymore.

But it would be a lie.

"I understand," I repeated. Because I did. I saw the book, I saw the prophecy. I didn't know exactly what good I would do for this world, being the only female Ganduri. But the only way to find out was to just do it.

_Do you really?_ Edward's voice asked me. I smiled, and finally allowed Jasper's calming effect to take over. It was only when I looked at him did I realize he was not inflicting his vibes on me.

I was actually calm.

"I don't know many of the stories," I told Carlisle, "only a couple, really. So I don't know what to exactly expect. I don't know what is going to completely happen." Carlisle nodded and inched forward on his chair.

"I will have Edward and Jasper fill you in on what will most likely happen. Of course, since your transformation is already so much different than all others, I can't guarantee that the ceremony will be the same." Edward and Jasper nodded, and my mind continued to turn. If they told me about their experiences, I'd be nervous. I'd be panicking the entire time, and probably fuck something up.

"No." Three sets of eyes flew up in question. "No, I don't want to know. I don't want my expectations to be set and everything be different. That can't be good. Besides, I've read a few passages about other transformations, so I know the basic outline." And then the persuading began. Edward and Carlisle talked over each other, telling me how I was choosing wrong, and I had to go in this with a bit more information of what would happen.

I sighed and turned to look at Jasper while the other two continued to talk at me. Jasper was quiet, just staring at me with an odd look on his face. I raised an eyebrow at him in question. He only smiled at me and continued to stare.

_What's that look for?_ I asked him silently. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened just a bit in surprise.

_I know_, I told him. _They're right about not knowing what else I can end up doing. Everything keeps evolving._ He nodded, unable to look away. And then I understood the look.

Respect.

_Do you think I'm doing the right thing?_ Jasper nodded.

"Bella, are you listening to a word I'm saying?" Carlisle sounded angry. I turned to him and smiled.

"No, Carlisle, I'm not." Edward's jaw went slack in surprise. I moved to stand, and this time their hands didn't stop me. I stepped back so I could face them all. As the seconds passed, I felt more certain in my choice.

"It's my opinion that listening to everyone's change won't prepare me. Although the entries in the book I've read won't prepare me either, it told me enough. It's my way or no way." I looked at Carlisle and offered him a smile "Something this small and trivial is not something t battle over."

"That's not my intention," Carlisle said quickly. Edward nodded and he added more.

"Bella, you need to be prepared, or you can be traumatized by it all."

"And I appreciate your concern. But if we're doing this now, then I want my own experience."

"Bella is right." The voice came from behind me and I turned to see Alexander. "She is being brave. Let her be." I smiled at him in thanks. But IU could see Carlisle stand, ready to argue further. But another figure stood as well. Jasper.

"Let it be, Carlisle," he said. It only took him a moment at that point to agree with us. And then it occurred to me.

This was happening. Now.

"Where are we doing this?" Edward asked.

"Basement," Carlisle said immediately. I didn't even know there was a basement.

"What about the other students? What if someone comes searching for one of us?" It took me two seconds and I knew.

"Put the campus under lock down," I told Edward. He nodded, glancing at Carlisle. Carlisle reached for his walkie and pressed the button.

"Esme, come in." A few seconds of dead air and then Esme spoke.

"Yes Carlisle." He glanced at all of us and gave us a small smile.

"I'm using a code six. Immediately, I need you to send all of the students to their dormitories and have each lead do a head count. No one is to leave, including teachers." For some unknown reason, goose bumps broke out over my arms. It all sounded so official.

"Ten-four," Esme's voice came back. Her voice was usually sweet and comforting. At that moment it was firm and dared anyone to argue with her.

"Code six?" I asked.

"Emergency weather. She'll tell everyone that it's a blizzard and they'll stay in." I nodded. Outside there was still a couple inches of snow, including spots of ice that hadn't melted from the salt. Had I need one of the other students, I'd believe the weather alert.

"Bella, I need you to stay here. We're going down to the basement to get ready." Panic shot through me. They were leaving me alone? What if something happened to me? What if something happened that killed me?

"You're panicking," Jasper and Edward said at the same time. I shook my head.

"No," I lied.

"I'll stay with you," Jasper said, and I felt calming warmth surround me. I found myself nodding.

"Okay," Carlisle said. "Let's go." Just then a loud siren sounded through the house. My hands flew to my ears and I winced.

"What is that?" I shouted.

_Weather alarm_, Edward told me silently. And just like that it was over. Jasper came to stand next to me, and Carlisle brushed his hand over my arm as he passed me. Alexander nodded and Edward full blown stepped up and pulled me into an embrace. His lips fell on mine and his arms pulled me close.

_I love you_, he told me. I smiled against his lips and pulled back. _I love you too,_ I said silently.

"Okay, break it up," Jasper grunted. He literally placed his hands on each of our shoulders and pulled us apart. He rolled his eyes and pushed Edward towards the door.

And then we were alone. I walked over to the couch and sat back in the middle. Jasper sat beside me and put his arm over my shoulders. I sighed and leaned into him. His half embrace was comforting on many levels. Since that night in the woods when I saw Edward in full form for the first time, Jasper had become an important person to me. From the beginning he seemed to know my need to someone to get me, for someone to understand. Just his small smiles and want of making me calm meant a lot.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded against him and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Liar," he muttered. I laughed, knowing he was right. The room was eerily quiet except for the sounds of our breathing.

"You really think my body wouldn't be able to handle all of this?" I whispered. Jasper was quiet for a moment, and I looked up to see him deep in thought.

"Honestly," he finally said, "no. Don't get me wrong, you are a strong person. But physically this is too much." I nodded.

"Cause this is what, ten things you're able to do?" I laughed, trying to list my changed mentally.

"My rubber band vision," I laughed. Jasper chuckled along with me and started to list them as well.

"Rubber band vision, your sudden change in appearance, hearing Edward's voice, projecting your voice into other people's minds, the ability to…" and he stopped. Confusion spread across his face and he looked down at me.

"What is it exactly that you do? What you did to the door and to Carlisle, I mean." I shrugged; it was the only answer I had.

"Come on," Jasper laughed, "you have to know how to do it again." I shrugged again. And then my Jasper wall went away and he was standing in front of me.

"Come on, we're going to figure it out." I stared at his outstretched hand and cursed him mentally.

"I heard that." _Shit_. I took his hand and stood beside him. We faced the large area of the suite and I stared at him.

"Okay," I said, "now what?" Jasper looked lost for a second but smiled his thousand watt smile.

"I'm going to come at you. I want you to push me back." I laughed, an honest to God laugh.

"I don't want to hurt you," I argued.

"You won't," he laughed. Rolling my eyes, I watched him as he faced me from six feet away.

"Okay, I'm going to come at you. Think of it as an attack. I want you to push me away." Yeah. Okay. Jasper was calmly standing there and in the split second he charged for me. I didn't have time to react before he slammed into me and we flew back onto the floor. The air was gone from my lungs and I winced when Jasper's 'eight settled on me.

"Get off," I muttered. Laughing, he rolled off and stood.

"Bella, you didn't even try."

"Yes, I did."

"Liar." I stood and pushed his shoulder.

"Okay peanut gallery, do it again." Jasper took his place and I took a defensive stance. Hands out, I waited.

He ran at me again and this time I tried to push out some type of energy. Nothing. Jasper slammed into me again, but this time he didn't let us fall to the ground.

"Are you trying?" he asked.

"Yes!" Did he really think I didn't care? His hands came up, palms out.

"Okay, okay. What was going through your head the other times?" I sighed and thought of the door being opened in the Isolation room.

"In the room, you were coming in and I wasn't dressed," I told him carefully. "So I was panicking." Jasper's eyebrows went up.

"Not dressed? Edward was in…" I glared at him. He then understood. "Gotcha." I could feel my skin glow warm, but I pushed past it.

"What it happened with Carlisle…" I thought about how I was feeling.

"You were pissed off," Jasper told me. I nodded; he was right.

"Exactly." He sighed and looked around the room.

"Okay, well, it might have been a fluke that it even happened." Excuse me?

"I'm sorry, what?" Jasper shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Exactly what I said. I've heard stuff like that happening before, although I didn't think it would happen to you." I could feel my face grow hot, but with anger this time.

"Wait a minute," I cut him off. "You're telling me that I'm a fluke of some sort?" Jasper rolled his eyes and stepped back.

"No, not a fluke. But I think they might be putting you in shoes that are too big to fill." I couldn't even understand what he was saying.

"So you're saying that I'm a fucking mistake?" He just stared at me. "Are you _kidding me!_" I screamed. How _dare_ he!

"You have no _idea_ what I'm going through!" I yelled. Jasper sighed loudly. I couldn't believe it. I took a step forward, wondering where the loving friend who was comforting me two minutes ago went. Was it that easy to lose faith in me? Was that what happened with my parents? Did they lose faith?

"You can't believe that we haven't gone through what you're going through. Can you be that naïve?" Jasper was staring at me incredulously. "Bella, for all we know, we gave the serum to the wrong female. Edward could have been wrong." I felt a heat in my hands, the anger coming off of me in waves. I looked down to see the air around my hands distorted slightly. Looking back up, I saw that Jasper was crouched in an attack position.

"Now!" he yelled. Jasper lunged forward for the third time and this time I lifted my hands in defense. The distorted head waves flew outwards, and I watched as Jasper was thrown backwards and into a table. The sound of cracking wood gave me an odd sense of satisfaction. Jasper groaned from his place amid the mess and smiled at me. But I was still feeling that anger. I pushed the waves out again and showed my own smile when I saw shock replace his grin. Jasper lifted off the floor a few feet and I flung my arms to the side. He soared through the air and crashed into the wall, leaving a large crack in the drywall.

"Okay! Okay!" I lowered my hands at Jasper's cries. He looked up at me from his spot on the floor and let out a laugh.

"I guess we know what triggers your little gift."

"What?" My hands were shaking and I was confused. Jasper stood on his feel and slowly walked towards me. I eyes him warily as he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.

"First off," he said into my ear, "I want you to know that I didn't mean a word of that. You are an amazing person, and no one could even _imagine_ what you are going through." Tears pricked my eyes. He pulled back and looked me in the eyes.

"I had a theory on what made everything work, so I had to test it out." I nodded and took a deep breath. I felt the anger slowly leak away, and a feeling of wonderment take its place.

"Okay, so it's anger?" I asked. Jasper nodded, smiling.

"I think it's anger and maybe that panicky feeling that you got … earlier." Okay. SO it was something else based on my emotions. It felt ridiculous really, vision that snapped when my adrenaline pumped and the ability to make someone fly off the side of a cliff when I was pissed off.

Hmm.

I took another deep breath and then reached out to grab Jasper's arm for support. Black spots appeared in my vision, and a dizzy feeling spread through my body.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked me, concern lacing his voice. I shook my head in a vain attempt to shake the odd feeling off.

"I don't know," I admitted, blinking my eyes rapidly. The black spots were turning into bursts of light. "I feel… dizzy?"

And I watched as everything went black, listening to Jasper scream out my name.

* * *

**What has happened to Bella? Was Carlisle right? Was all of this too much, causing Bella to get too weak? Will it all take a toll on her mortal body, causing her to die?**

**:) I will post the next chapter VERY soon :) 3 Ashley**


	18. Chapter 18

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the charachters portrayed in the books and/or movies. But I am the proud new owner of acrylic nails (for the first time in three years lol) which is why I'm posting this chapter so late- because it took me forever to type it! 3 Ashley**

* * *

_I was swimming._

_No, not swimming. __I wasn't in water._

_I was flying. Flying through the night sky, looking down on the world. Trees swayed in the night breeze, like people dancing under the moon. I could see the moonlight reflecting in the lake, glowing up to me like a spotlight. It was amazing, seeing the world from this point of view._

_And then I felt something grab my hand. Looking to my right, I saw Edward. Amazed, I stared into his golden eyes as we soared through the air. It was exceptional; us flying side by side in the air over the forest._

_"Love is deity," Edward said to me as we flew closer to the ground. It was then that I saw his wings. They were gold._

* * *

I awoke with a flash of pain and fear. Taking a deep breath, I lurched forward, almost colliding with a concerned Edward.

"Bella!" I looked around in a flurry and realized I had been lying on the floor of Carlisle's suite. Carlisle, Edward, Jasper and Alexander were all huddled around me.

"Is she okay?" Jasper asked. I nodded. Yes, I was fine.

"What happened?" I whispered. Everyone looked at Jasper.

"You collapsed. You've been out for a while." I collapsed? I thought back to how Jasper tricked me into using my ability (is that what I wanted to call it?), and I remembered getting dizzy.

"I fell?" It came out like a question, and Edward nodded along with Jasper.

"Are you feeling okay?" Carlisle asked. I was still dizzy, and honestly I felt like a car had hit me. I hurt.

"No," I admitted. I brought my hand up to my forehead and winced when I felt a lump.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? Today, I mean?" Edward was worried, but I wanted to tell him to back off. I couldn't though- my mind couldn't find the correct words to use.

That's when Alexander walked over to me and bent down to my eye level. His black eyes were like a bottomless pit, staring through my eyes and into my mind. What was he searching for?

"What?" I whispered. I didn't know what was happening, but I had a feeling deep in my gut. "What do you see?" Carlisle and Edward had told me that Alexander saw things. He sensed when things were going to change or when things were going to happen. And something about the way he was staring so intently made me believe he saw _something_. Everyone around us was quiet as Alexander seemed to search my face for his own answers. My breathing spiked along with his, overtaking the silence.

"What do you see?" I repeated. Alexander brushed his hand over my hair that hung loosely over my shoulder.

"We have to do this tonight," he finally said. "Someone is coming. Coming for Bella."

"Coming?" Edward yelled. My heart began to pound in my chest, so loud that I was sure it echoed into the room. Edward jumped up and pulled Alexander's shoulder back, trying to get him to look at his face.

"What's coming?" Edward pressed. His eyes were wide and his knuckles were white from the strain on the shoulder. "Alexander, who is coming for Bella?"

"Edward, calm down," Carlisle pulled Edward's hand away and calmly turned towards the man who was still looking deep into my eyes.

"When?" What kind of question was that? But it didn't seem like an odd request to the others.

"Tonight."

"Wait a second," I interrupted," are you telling me that someone is coming here. Tonight. For _me_?" Alexander nodded. "Who! For what?"

"It's a negative energy," Alexander explained to me. "Someone, like us." Jasper reached out to take my hand.

"He's saying that a Ganduri is on his way here. Probably caught wind of the fact that there's a female. And if they catch you before the transformation is complete, they're able to pull you towards their way of thinking. Turn you dark if they want to." I shook my head; there was no way I'd turn evil, or whatever the person wanted me to do.

"No, I'm not leaving you guys. I won't go with anyone else." Edward grabbed my other hand and squeezed.

"It wouldn't be intentional," Jasper explained. "Each clan has a different ceremony for the transformation. It's what defines who you are and what you would be. If someone got hold of you before we are done with the ceremony, they can and _will_ turn you." I couldn't believe him. I wouldn't. Would a few words spoken by someone make or break me? Could some other Ganduri really make me into a bad person?

"I feel sick," I realized. Leaning to the side, I released Jasper and Edward's hands and vomited on the carpet. Hands rubbed my back, attempting to calm me.

"We have to do this tonight," Alexander said again. I wiped my hand across my lips and watched as each of them started to speak above the other.

The world around me faded away. The conversation being held blurred to a dull hum and eventually sounded like an ocean roaring. Something. Something was coming for me. Someone was going to try and turn me against the man I loved and the ones closest to me. Jasper and Edward had accepted me, no questions asked. They opened their arms and in Edward's care, loved me. Carlisle treated me like a daughter, and even Alexander looked at me like I was covered in gold.

The surge of anger spilled into my blood and I felt it before I saw the orange glow in front of me. I forced my mind to stop spinning and looked straight, amazed at how everyone in the room had a gold aura. The conversation halted as everyone noticed the same thing.

"What is that?" Edward asked. I didn't need an answer though. It was me. All of us were connected, somehow, all of us belonging to the same clam. As I looked at Alexander, I suddenly felt queasy. My mood began to turn sour and I wanted to hit something. That's when I knew I had tapped into the negative energy he had. I was feeling every bit of it.

"It's me," I answered quickly. "We have to do the ceremony. Tonight. _Now_." I looked directly at Edward, letting the panic I felt show through my eyes.

"Edward, we have to do this." Carlisle stood, reaching out to help me to my feet. When his hand touched mine I felt a heat through my arm. I didn't pull away though; I embraced it. Looking at the man who had included me in his life so easily, I reached up and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. His arms were motionless for only a second before he hugged me back.

"I'm not letting anything happen to you, Bella," he said. Tears pricked my eyes as I blinked quickly. We pulled away from each other and I looked around the room. The glow from everyone was beginning to recede and I forced my heart beat to calm itself.

_Breathe, Bella. Deep breaths._

Was this another thing I did? Did I connect everyone and make us unite with everything that we did? I only showed a little anger and everyone felt and showed the heat I did. As I calmed myself I felt dizzy again. This time, though, I forced adrenaline to the surface.

"Let's go before I pass out again," I muttered. Edward rushed forward and lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as we all moved out of the room and into the hallway.

Edward let Alexander lead the way, and Jasper and Carlisle followed close behind. I felt like I was being escorted, protected from all angles.

"Everything is going to be okay after the ceremony, right?" I asked Edward. He nodded, brushing a kiss along my temple. "What happens?" I found myself asking. Edward looked confused.

"I thought you didn't want to know what happened."

"I don't," I said quickly as Alexander opened a large door off the side of the living room. "I mean, am I going to have to chant something?" The door opened to a staircase, descending into a brightly lit basement. My heartbeat sped up in anticipation.

"No, no chanting," Edward chuckled as he carried me down the steps. "There's another… serum… that you'll have to drink, as well as an exchanging of blood." My head snapped sideways. Blood?

"Excuse me? I don't remember any blood being exchanged in the encounters I read about!" In my peripheral vision I saw Jasper step forward.

"It's not something that is allowed to be written. Sacred rights and all that jazz," he offered. I nodded, not knowing what to say to that.

Edward hit the bottom step and I looked around in awe yet again. The basement walls were covered in stone, large brown and grey. The floors were covered in the same stone, yet smoother and more worn. Bookshelves lined the far wall, covered in large volume. In the center of the room was a circle of red candles, perfectly round. In the middle of that circle was a single white candle, which looked to be lined in silver.

It looked like a fancy target.

_It looks like you're going to sacrifice me to the Gods_, I said into Edward's mind. He let out a light snort of laughter, shaking his head. Carefully, he set me down on my feet and leaned down to kiss my forehead. Carlisle stepped forward and set his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ready?" Did I have a choice? I nodded, not really knowing if I was lying or not.

"I want you to take me through this, step by step," I said. "I don't want you coming at me with a knife and not expect me to run. If you're going to cut me or take a chunk of my arm, or whatever the hell it is that you do, tell me." No one laughed. Four solemn looking men nodded to me, promising me what I asked.

"Then yes, I'm ready."

"We must hurry," Alexander spoke up. But Carlisle held his hand up.

"It's not something you can rush, Alexander. You know this." The nervous Alexander nodded, looking towards the window over one of the book cases. I followed his gaze and watched several inches of snow blow in the breeze I couldn't feel.

"Are you sure all of the kids are going to be okay?" I asked. "You know, with this guy coming for me?" I looked at Carlisle, who was removing a large book from the shelf.

"Everyone will be fine. Now, I want you to stand in the center of the circle, and hold the white candle." I glanced at Edward, who nodded. Sighing, I walked forward, holding the candle in a tight grasp. The only thought I had? It's heavier than it looks.

With no instruction, Edward walked forward to stand to my right. He bent down to pick up the red candle in front of him, and stepped forward to stand in its place. Jasper then stepped up behind me and did the same. Looking to my left, I watched Alexander stand with his red candle, knuckles white from gripping so hard. I then watched Carlisle step in front of me, pick up the candle, and _sit_ in its place. He set the candle in front of him and put the large book in his lap.

_Don't say anything,_ Edward told me silently. I glanced at him, wondering how he knew my curiosity was getting the best of me.

Carlisle opened the book to a marked page and skimmed over the page. He then nodded and reached into his coat pocket, removing a large cloth and opened it. My heart all but stopped.

A knife and a small bottle.

I swallowed hard, forcing the vomit down that was sneaking its way back up.

No one said a word as Carlisle set the knife in front of the unlit candle and then set the vial on the candle itself, on top of the wick. As soon as the bottle of what looked to be clear liquid touched the candle, each wick of every candle blazed alight. My eyes were wide as I followed the circle, amazed as each flame grew brighter and brighter. And then my own candle lit, me almost screaming in surprise. Instead, my vision snapped as my blood pumped through my system quickly.

_My vision snapped,_ I said silently to Edward. _Is that going to interfere?_ I glanced to my right to see him shake his head ever so slightly. His voice appeared in my mind, loud and clear.

_Carlisle is going to speak quietly to himself, a spell. Don't say anything. _I nodded. And then I could hear a soft murmur come from Carlisle, so soft that had Edward not warned me, I may not have heard it.

I remained motionless as Carlisle spoke softly, and I listened to the wind outside howl just a bit louder.

_I thought the weather warning Carlisle told Esme about was fake?_ I asked Edward.

_It was_. My eyebrow rose in confusion.

_Then what's with the wind?_ Edward only shrugged. I looked to my left and saw how Alexander was staring at the window again. His fingers were holding the candle so tightly I was surprised that it was still whole. Something was still wrong. Very wrong. I looked around the room, noticing then that the candle flames were growing brighter yet again. Making a quick decision, I looked at Alexander and projected my voice into his mind.

_Alexander, it's Bella. Do you hear me?_ Alexander didn't seem startled, only looked away from the window and over to me with a grimace. _You feel something, don't you? You can feel whoever it is, whoever is coming for me?_ He nodded. A chill spread out over my skin.

_Is he here_? He nodded again. I looked at Carlisle, who was now speaking still softly, but just a bit louder, with his eyes closed. I had to say something, right?

The wind rattled the few windows, making the sound ominous in the basement. I knew that the campus was deserted, everyone hidden in their respective houses.

_I have to say something to Carlisle,_ I told Edward. He stared at me for a solid second before nodding. _Am I okay to speak aloud? Or do I have to tell him quietly?_ Little by little I was feeling ridiculous for how we were communicating. I wanted so badly to just open my mouth and talk to all of them.

But before I could even look in Carlisle's direction, a loud crash sounded from upstairs. I let out a soft scream, afraid to interfere with Carlisle's spell. Btu there was no point in being careful. He stopped speaking and jumped up, setting the book aside.

"Alexander!" he shouted. Before I could blink, Alexander was tossing the candle to Carlisle and running towards the stairs. It was then that I realized the candles were extinguished.

"What's going on?" I yelled. Fear rippled through me, making my vision waiver. A hand laid flat on my back, and I felt warmth spread through me. Jasper. Edward stepped forward and took the candles from us.

"It's him," Edward said to Carlisle. Again I was confused, but I was the only one it seemed. Carlisle rushed to my side and bent down to look me in the eyes.

"Bella, I need you to listen to me, alright?" I nodded automatically. "You're going to stay down here with Edward. Jasper will be right outside the basement door, and I'll be with Alexander. Do you understand?" I nodded again, but my mind was screaming for all of us to run.

"What if he gets me?" I blurted out. Edward rubbed my shoulder and cut off Carlisle's response.

"No one will touch you," he soothed. I understood his need to calm me, but really, what if? My mind flew with the possibilities—beginning with an imprisonment and ending with me being evil. I didn't want to be turned against Edward and the others. I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

Just like that, Jasper and Carlisle rushed up the stairs, leaving Edward and I to defend ourselves. Edward put one of his hands on my arm and directed me into a far corner of the basement. The sound of wind was especially loud from our spot between a bookshelf and the wall. Edward's arms surrounded me as he pulled us down to sit on the ground. I felt like a child being punished- sent to the corner for time out.

From above us came a loud shout followed by a crash. The walls seemed to shake, and I looked at Edward in fear. His eyes were cold as steel, expressionless as he stared up at the stone ceiling. I understood him a little bit more now. It was his family up there, in danger. I only comprehended this because they had become my family too.

The hard floor felt just a little less cold beneath my bare feet as I felt my adrenaline spike a notch higher. My vision was still snapped, and I could see every surface of the basement quiver. Another crash sounded from above and Edward tensed.

"Go," I whispered. Edward's eyes shot to me. "Go help them." I knew he wanted to go. Hell, even I wanted to go.

"No," he whispered. "You are too important to leave unguarded." I wanted to roll my eyes at hm. But I didn't, knowing Edward's only job right this moment was to protect me.

_Is this this man who you spoke to in the forest that night?_ I asked him silently. Edward didn't look at me when he answered.

_I think so. Actually, I'm pretty sure it is. _I shivered, thinking of how the man had questioned Edward about me. Had I been in danger this entire time and they just kept it from me?

_He's been after me for a while, hasn't he?_ Edward paused for only a minute and then nodded. My heart dropped.

_Why didn't you tell me?_ I asked. This time Edward did look at me.

_Because we were trying to keep you safe._

_Safe!_ I screamed into his mind. _You call this safe?_

"Bella!" Edward whispered loudly. I followed his eyes and saw that the air around my hands was distorted. I had to calm down before I hurt someone.

_Who is it?_ I asked.

_His name is Craft Ives_, Edward said as we heard another crash._ He doesn't belong to a clan, but caught wind of you and immediately made plans of taking you and molding you into his mate or something. He figured that if he could get you on his side then he'd be invincible._

Honestly, I was shocked. Scared and shocked. Is that what I had become? I piece of meat?

_I had cut him off that night when you saw me_, Edward continued, _and I told him you weren't even ready for the transformation. You see, you were useless to him until your powers evolved. That's the one reason why he left that night without you._

_But how did he know we were doing the ceremony tonight?_ I shrieked. My eyes flew around the room, suddenly feeling like I was being watched. And Edward confirmed my fear.

_He must have been watching us_. Edward's eyes screamed apologies at me. _I didn't think he'd be waiting so close. He might have seen you push Carlisle through the air. Maybe he sensed your powers adapting._ I wanted to scream. Did I have a fucking odor or something?

"I can't believe this," I whispered. The walls continued to rumble, and things crashed upstairs, giving away the sound of things being broken. I distinctly heard Jasper scream out for Carlisle, and then flat out _scream_.

Suddenly my breath caught in my chest and I felt a shooting pain go through my entire body. Edward's arms fell from their position around me and I heard him gasp. I looked over at him and saw that he was clutching his stomach in agony.

"Jasper," I whispered. He was hurt, I could feel it. "Edward, he's hurt." I fell out of my hiding spot and crawled towards the stairs, reacting on instinct alone.

_Bella, no!_ I had to though. Jasper was hurt, and his pain was killing me. Literally ripping into me like a blade. My elbows dug into the floor, pulling me along until I reached the stairs. I could hear Edward behind me, struggling as he, too, made his way to the stairs. I closed my eyes and listened. From upstairs I could hear footsteps, slow and steady. I could also hear ragged breathing coming from right outside the door. I assumed this to be Jasper, and my heart went out to him.

_Jasper!_ I screamed to him silently. _I hope you can hear me. Just hold on, we're coming for you!_ I heard Jasper grunt loudly, and I hoped that was some kind of sign that he had heard.

I pressed my forehead against the cold floor and took a deep, steady breath. I had to move. I had to do something. Jasper was hurt because of me. Doing the only thing I could even think to do, I held my breath for a moment and then forced myself to continue, but this time more quickly than normal. Within ten seconds I could feel my heart rate speed up even further and I could feel my eyes prick like I had unshed tears. I had to force my adrenaline to spike, so I thought of the danger that loomed so near. A mixture of fear and anger overwhelmed me. My hands began to shake as I placed them on the ground and pushed myself up. Turning my head I saw that Edward was sprawled only feet away from me, holding in the pain that I knew he felt. I forced all my concentration on him, pushing all of my energy in his direction. It took a few seconds, but I recognized when I began to make a difference. Edward's eyes were from cringing in pain to relaxed, looking around.

"Bella?" he whispered. I didn't say anything though, continuing to force whatever energy I could in his direction. Looking down briefly, I could see the air around my fingers waver slightly. It felt different though- not the same as it had when I sent Carlisle and Jasper flying through the air.

Edward turned over and looked at me in awe.

_You're doing this?_ He asked silently.

_Go,_ I responded. _Help Jasper and the others._ Edward jumped to his feet and became motionless. I was on the verge of shouting at him to move, but then his eyes began to glow. I gasped in shock, my heart still pounding erratically as Edward's hands clenched into fists once and then his fingers extended. His nails grew rapidly, growing darker and sharp. A soft tearing sound echoed through the basement as his wings tore through his shirt and stretched out to his sides.

Immediately I notices how his feathers had lightened, taking on an almost golden color.

Pushing away my thoughts of how Edward seemed to be changing now, I pointed towards the stairs.

_Go!_ I shouted. Edward turned towards the stairs with a fierce look in his eyes and ran at me. I cursed my position in his way, but stared in awe as he literally soared over me, landing on the bottom step, and then launched himself over the full set of stairs to the top. He kicked out, sending the door off its hinges, wood splintering everywhere. As Edward disappeared from my sight, I forced myself to move. I could hear Edward running, and then shouting to someone. I could only assume it was Carlisle.

Slowly, I pulled my way up the stairs. With every painful inch, I listened as Edward searched the house for Ives. With every excruciating pull, I thought of Jasper, hurt and most likely bleeding only feet away. I thought of how Carlisle and Alexander, so strong and wise, probably lay motionless because they fought for me.

When I hit the stop step and looked through the broken door, I realized that I no longer felt any of Jasper's pain. I was numb from head to toe. Shock filling me, I wondered if it meant Jasper were dead. But I knew it didn't mean that at all when I looked down the hall and saw Jasper propped up on one elbow, holding his stomach. He was bleeding profusely, staining the carpet beneath him.

I pushed myself off the ground and stood on numb legs. My breathing remained unsteady but I felt different.

_Jasper,_ I called to him. He looked at me and his eyes widened. I could see his mouth drop open slightly. _Where's Edward?_ Pausing only for a second, Jasper pointed down the hall towards the living room. His location was confirmed when I heard a crash, followed by a string of profanities. I was sure though, that the person who yelled was not anyone I knew. I stepped forward, sliding along the wall so that I remained out of sight. About ten feet from Jasper was an opening into the living room. I glanced around the corner and jumped when I saw someone there. I flung myself back, gasping.

I wrapped my fingers around a frame that hung on the wall behind me, hoping to use it as a weapon if necessary. Rationally, I knew I could do no harm on someone with such a weapon, but I needed _something. _

Slowly, I moved my head to where I could see in the living room again. The person I had seen also moved their head. I sighted with relief when I saw that it was me. I was looking into a mirror.

And then my sigh turned into a gasp. I was covered completely, from head to toe, in a gold light. The same gold light from when Carlisle told me about 'acceptance'. Had this been what Jasper saw when I came up the stairs? Is this why he looked so shocked? I looked down into his pale face and saw my shock mirrored.

_You see it?_ I asked silently. He nodded.

Acceptance, I remembered. That's all this was. But I also remembered the book telling me that I would have more powers than any other Ganduri. This meant I could do more than just help Edward off that cold basement floor. I had blocked his pain; I could help Jasper too.

I turned to face Jasper and ignored another deafening crash, lifting my hands to him.

_Just remain still_, I told him. I didn't take offense to the panicked look on his face, because I felt it within me as well.

Carefully, with the same type of energy I used to knock Carlisle over, I pushed outwards. I could see the ripples in the air, and when they reached Jasper, I reversed my left hand to pull the energy back. My goal was to center my energy in him; a goal that I had no idea how to accomplish.

I watched as the ripples in the air surrounded Jasper, making his skin glow. He looked down at his stomach and removed his hand from his wound. The blood made my stomach lurch, but I watched in fascination as the large gash slowly began to heal.

"Oh my God," I whispered. Jasper stared up at me in shock. Neither of us could believe it. When the blood stopped flowing, I dropped my arms to my sides, feeling spent. It only took Jasper a moment to stand and examine himself completely.

**_Do you feel okay?_ He nodded, and looked at me with gratitude.**

_Thank you,_ his voice entered my head. My eyes widened and he came forward, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. He pulled back and kissed my forehead. I blushed, but looked at him with a smile.

_Where's Carlisle and Alexander?_ Jasper pointed towards the opposite side of the house. I braced myself, knowing that I would have to help them as well. I faltered though—would I be able to help them? Once would have been a fluke, twice a miracle…

"You can do it," Jasper whispered. I nodded.

_You go help Edward. I'll find the others._ And just like that, Jasper began to change. His nails grew into talons, and his eyes glowed bright in the dim light. The muffled tear as his wings sliced through his shirt didn't surprise me; I almost expected it. Within a minute, Jasper was standing before me, fully changed into a fierce creature.

_Go,_ I urged. He turned and disappeared from sight. I didn't waste a moment as I set out in search of Carlisle and Alexander. Turning down hallway after hallway, corner after corner, I finally made my way to the front living area. Glancing around, I finally located them, lying in a pool of blood. My heart lurched in fear, but I knew they were alive. There was no other option. I stepped closer, looking over my shoulder when I heard Jasper and Edward shouting at someone. They were in the other room, but I could almost feel their anger and distaste for the man they were fighting. Things were being thrown, audible within the silence where I stood.

I must have been standing motionless too long, wasting too much time, because that far wall began to shake, frames and art work falling from their positions on the plaster.

Flustered, I turned to Carlisle and Alexander and did what I had done with Jasper. I pushed out my hands and concentrated on pushing my energy outwards. The ripples in the air moved towards the motionless figures, finally touching them as I heard Edward in my mind.

_Bella, you need to go! Now! _I shook my head, not responding. Aligning the waves of energy just right, I concentrated. I needed them to be okay. Now.

A large crash came from behind me, shaking the entire house. I felt several objects hit my back, and several more fly by me. Looking down, I saw that it was plaster. I chanced a look behind me and gasped at the sight.

Where the wall had been, painted a deep rust color, was now a gaping hole- at least five feet wide. Its edges were jagged, dry wall hanging from every direction. A cloud of plaster hung in the air, but as it dissipated, I saw that a man lay on my side of the wall. A man I didn't recognize. A man that was moving from his pile of debris. On the other side of the wall, Jasper and Edward stood, breathing hard. Jasper's shirt was torn, laying on him in the shreds. Edward was covered in blood. His own? I didn't know. Both men were absolutely _livid_, eyes glowing, wings extended.

As the man moved even more from the floor, I saw that he had wings too.

_Bella!_ I jumped at Edward's voice and turned back to the injured still on the floor. Concentrating more, I pushed all of my energy into them. From behind me there was a scuffle, followed by the most hear wrenching scream I had ever heard in my entire life.

"_No!_" It sounded like Edward, but before I could react, I felt a stabbing pain through my midsection. My energy waves faltered and died as my numbness faded away. I let out a soft moan as the pain spread, and I looked down at my stomach. Where was that pain coming from? What I saw though, did not elicit the reaction from me that it should have.

There was a large piece of wood, splintered and broken, sticking out of my stomach. With drowsy realization, it clicked that it was going from my back all the way to my front. It had pierced me all the way through.

* * *

**Will Bella be okay? Is this the end for her, not giving her the chance to fulfil her destiny?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello out there in Fan Fic world! I am very happy to put this chapter up :) I'm sure you've all been waiting it so much you're sitting on the edge of your seats in suspense (or not... whatever lol). I also wanted to thank everyone for their reviews. I absolutely love it when my phone dings and tells me I have an e-mail, and when it turns out to be a review. Makes me happy!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own the Twilight/New Moon card game! It brings out the teeny bopper moments in me :) 3 Ashley**

"_No!"_

I continued to stare down as my stomach bled. The pain was intense, but for some reason I was able to deal with it. My vision began to blur after a few seconds, and I realized it was from unshed tears.

I heard the scream again, but this time I was sure that it was Jasper. A roar echoed through the house, followed by the sound of an impact. To my left, I could see Edward fly at someone, knocking him down.

I fell to my knees, unable to hold my own weight. All of my adrenaline was gone, and all of my energy I had used to revive everyone else had leaked from me. I felt like I had no insides. In front of me, Carlisle stirred, followed by Alexander. I couldn't look at them though- I could only stare at the wood. My fingers grazed over it carefully, like I was afraid to do more damage. When I heard a gasp from in front of me, I looked up. Carlisle was kneeling before me, staring at the blood that began to pool beneath me. His eyes were wide, his jaw slack. When his eyes met mine, I felt a single tear fall from my eye and make its way down my cheek.

"Carlisle," I whispered. Even my own voice seemed to change. I sounded weak, childlike. In that very moment, I respected Carlisle just a little bit more. Because he didn't cry and hold my hand as I bled out. He didn't apologize to me about leading me down this path. Instead, he jumped up and turned to the silent Alexander.

"Go to the basement!" he whispered harshly. "Get the book and candles." Alexander didn't question the orders for a second. He disappeared before I could even blink. Carlisle turned to me and placed both hands on my face.

"Everything is going to be fine," he soothed. "I promise." He then stood up and moved around me. My eyes followed him and I saw that he was approaching the fight still in progress.

Jasper was on top of Ives, punching him twice before he was pushed off. Edward then lunged forward, shoving his arm under the man's chin and launching him back into a bookcase. I tried to smile at them, so happy that they were fighting for me, but my smile wavered as my vision was dotted with stars.

"Bella, hold on!" Jasper screamed. He lunged for me, and I realized that I had begun to fall over. Jasper held me in his outstretched arms as Edward turned to Carlisle. I couldn't hear what they were saying but Carlisle withdrew a small vial from his pocket and lifted Edward's arm to it. Edward used his long fingernail to slice into his skin, and let his blood pour into the glass moments before Ives pulled him away and sent him flying. Carlisle somehow managed to sidestep any interaction with him, and came back to my side at the exact moment Alexander did.

Carlisle quickly worked around me as Jasper held me close, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Edward.

Until Ives turned to look at me with an evil grin. My eyes managed to widen slightly as I truly looked at the man who seemed to want to hurt everyone in my life.

He was tall—about six foot five inches. His arms were thick, bulging muscle under the long sleeved black shirt he wore. He had a long face, with black hair hanging below his ears. When my eyes met his, I was surprised to find that his were a warm brown color. But the warmth they could have held was smothered by the darkness they exuded. Like the others, his nails were long and black, but his wings were black like Alexander's.

A figure in black. Dressed like death.

Death laughed at me, and I felt my eyes close. The last thing I would ever see was Death, smiling at the pain he inflicted.

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**Jasper's POV**

I held onto Bella as carefully as possible, scared I would jar the stake that held inside of her. Surprisingly, I was able to hold her without shaking in anger. I was seeing red, but knew my acting out would get her killed.

Carlisle went to Edward and returned quickly, holding a small glass vial. Without speaking to me, he reached over and cut my own arm with an elongated fingernail, collecting my blood in the vial. It was then that I saw he was adding mine with someone else's. Then he reached across Bella to retrieve the same from Alexander.

He was going to do the ceremony.

"Carlisle," I said roughly. He shot me a look, silencing me. I understood his need to hurry. We couldn't lose Bella. She meant too much to us. I can honestly say that Bella made everyone's life better. When it was discovered that she was the prophecy, I was hesitant to form an opinion. But my friendship with her evolved, and I could easily think of her like my little sister.

And my little sister was, at that moment, lying in my arms, bleeding to death.

"We have to hurry," I whispered, stating the obvious. I saw that Bella's eyes were closed, but I could hear her heart beat, and her deep ragged breathing. Behind us Edward was fighting with Ives, giving him a beating that any other Ganduri would be effected by. But Ives seemed different. He was a rogue man, not held 'down' by the love of others in his clan. He held a darkness that both Alexander and I could feel, and neither wanted to experience again.

Carlisle opened the book and set the white candle in Bella's limp hand. He then set the red candles around her. My eyebrows met on my forehead in question.

"I thought we weren't supposed to rush this," I stuttered. Carlisle nodded once and found his place in the book.

"We're not." And then Carlisle began to speak quickly, faster than I'd ever thought possible. His voice was low and deep, breezing through the page like a speed reader. He picked up the vial of blood and set it down on the wick of his candle. Every candle wick burst into fire, rising a few inches into the air before returning to normal.

Edward continued to fight, knocking Ives off his feel with a solid kick to his chest.

With each passing moment, Carlisle spoke words I couldn't understand, and the flames began to grow bright once again. To my right, Alexander concentrated on Bella. His eyes never left her for a second. I knew then that he was acting as her bodyguard while the rest of us worked. No matter what, he wouldn't let Ives inflict any more pain on her.

Carlisle then set the book down and lifted a knife over the vial of blood. I did a double take, not remembering this from my own ceremony. If I remembered correctly, the blood would only have to touch her lips and the transformation would be underway.

But Carlisle held the blade in his right hand, held his left hand over the vial of blood, and while he chanted the same sentence aloud over and over again, plunged the knife into his hand until he saw the blade on the other side.

What the _hell_ was with people having things stabbed into them?

I cringed when I heard the blade cut skin and tendons, and stared open-mouthed as his blood poured over the open vial and the candles flame. I could see that the blood was in the vial as well as on the floor. After a minute, Carlisle removed the blade, his face never showing any emotion.

To my left, Ives had Edward pressed against a wooden beam in a choke hold. Edward's eyes were wide, a hint of panic in the air. I looked at Ives and reacted on instinct, sending a wave of calm in his direction. Immediately I could see a difference as his arm went slack and Edward regained his composure.

"We need to wake her up," Carlisle whispered. I tore my eyes away from Edward and Ives and down to Bella. Her heart was still beating, but was getting weaker.

"Bella," I shook her slightly.

"She's as good as dead!" Ives yelled. I turned to him and felt fury rip through me. It didn't take me long to realize the emotion was coming from Edward.

"Fuck you," Edward snarled, lunging for Ives and sending him flying at the wall. Ives only laughed, sparring Edward on.

"If I can't have her, no one can!" Who the hell was this guy? "Watch your precious Bella _bleed_." I shook my head in disbelief and started to help Carlisle in waking Bella.

"Bella, wake up," I said. She stirred, making the smallest of noises.

"Jasper." I looked at Alexander, who stared at me intently. "Jasper, you can give her the energy." I immediately shook my head, but my mind was reeling. Could I use emotion to help her?

I closed my eyes and thought of the one emotion that could get her heart pumping: rage. It wasn't heard- Edward was exuding it. Pushing outwards, I shoved the rage at a motionless Bella. The seconds ticked, the fighting continued, and I did the only thing I could to contribute. I thought of how angry Edward was, of how horrible it would be for Ives to tear us all apart. I thought of how Bella hadn't even begun to live her life and how if we had watched her just a bit closer over the past couple of weeks, we could have prevented what was happening right this moment.

Bella stirred, her hands moving slightly. I pushed my energy out further, if that was even possible, trying hard not to affect anyone else but Bella.

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to concentrate for long. As I pushed with all my strength, every light in the house turned off, sending us into complete darkness. It caught me off guard, sending my energy back to me like a sling shot.

"Carlisle?" I whispered. I could see through the darkness, but not as well as if it were light. To my left Edward had pushed Ives through the air, sending him through the hole in the wall that had been created from the man's own size. As soon as Ives disappeared through that hole, we were plunged in silence. I heard nothing but the sounds of our own breathing. Bella continued to stir, and I held onto her tightly.

_Click_.

My head shot to the right, as did Alexander's. We all heard the door open, and then we heard the muffled click as it shut. Was it Ives? Was he trying to escape? I looked at Alexander, who glanced at me and shook his head once. No, it was no one he knew. Esme wouldn't have come near the house until Carlisle came from her. My stomach froze in fear. Was it a student? Would Ives actually harm someone that had nothing to do with this?

We sat in silence as we heard someone lightly walk from the front door towards the living room where we were. My eyes were trained on the archway they would eventually come through while I continued to shake Bella awake.

"Bella, wake up!" I whispered harshly. She groaned, moving in my arms. I moved my eyes down for just a second and saw that her eyes were open.

"Carlisle, she's awake." Carlisle snapped to attention and bent down to tend to her. From the corner of my eye, I saw a figure walk into the room. Lifting my head, I gasped.

Alice.

"Alice!" I yelled loudly. "What the hell are you doing here? Get the fuck out!" She turned to me, her eyes somehow piercing mine in the darkness. I somehow managed to push away the feelings of desire that I always experienced when she was within a mile radius of me.

"Jasper, is she going to be okay?" Her voice was steady, but I looked at her in shock. How did she know Bella was hurt? I shook my head, not knowing how to answer her; I couldn't respond when I didn't know the answer myself.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered loudly. She started to make her way towards us and looked down to Bella. When she saw the wood pierced all the way through her, she let out a shocked gasp, fear shooting out from her. I pushed my questions away and kept my eyes on her. Edward was looking through the hole in the wall, looking for Ives location.

"What are you doing here, girl?" Alexander demanded. At his gruff voice, Alice looked down to him and gave him a look of defiance.

"I knew Bella was in trouble, so I came to help."

"Did you turn the lights off?" I whispered. She nodded, and I smiled slightly. But my smile dropped when I saw a blur of motion from behind her. Without any warning, large arms surrounded her midsection and pulled her back. Alice didn't scream, but I heard a shout leave my own lips.

Ives had her against him, pulled tight in a hold that could break her.

"And who might you be?" he asked into Alice's ear. She shivered in disgust and looked at me in concentration. Alexander was standing now, bracing himself to attack at any moment, while Carlisle was whispering to Bella. I couldn't hear what he was saying over the roar of blood in my ears.

And then Alice winked. My rage faltered on for a moment, and I gawked as Alice took a deep breath and spoke.

"I'm who you want," she said carefully. Ives glanced at Alexander's stance and then at me, and then over my shoulder at what I assumed to be Edward.

"What do you mean?" I looked down at Carlisle as he lifted the vial of blood to Bella's lips and pried them open. In one swift motion, he poured the blood into her mouth, and I gagged slightly when I heard her swallow. Bella cringed, but didn't fight it; Carlisle must have told her not to. Looking back at Alice though, I racked my brains to think of what Alice was doing. But she stood there, looking so sure of herself.

"I'm the prophecy. I'm the one you want," she said loudly. "Bella was a decoy, to keep you away from me." Ives laughed and shook his head. He pushed her down on the ground, and I winced when I heard the loud thud her body made on the floor. What was Alice doing? Was she trying to buy us time? How did she know that we _needed_ time? Even the few seconds she was giving us helped- Carlisle was now muttering again as he placed his hands on Bella's own.

While Alice lifted herself off of the ground, I thought quickly. That was _exactly_ what Alice was doing. Bella had told her all about the Ganduri's, and most likely that the ceremony was happening soon. But I also knew something about Alice that no one besides Bella knew. She had the gift of sensing things. Not just danger like Alexander. But she _knew_ things that others didn't. Is that what had happened tonight? She knew Bella needed her, that we would need more time? My heart beat unevenly at the woman who was sacrificing herself to help us.

"You can push me all you want," Alice snarled at Ives, "but I'm sure you don't want to kill me. After all, if you can't have the female Ganduri, no one will, right? Isn't that what you said?"

"How do you know that?" Ives asked. He was sensing the same thing I was- confusion. With Bella this close to her, Ives wouldn't be able to tell if Bella was the female Ganduri or if Alice was. The scent was in the air, mixing in with all of us.

Ives was confused.

"Is this the truth?" Ives asked over my shoulder. I turned to see Edward pause. He looked down at me and I nodded once. If Alice was going to sacrifice herself even for a moment, I had to respect that. Edward only paused for that one moment, and then met Ives' gaze.

"Yes, it's the truth." Ives directed his stare at Alice and stepped forward. I had to keep myself in check, not letting myself lunge forward to save her. Ives bent down and placed his nose into her short black hair, inhaling deeply. Alice cringed, but didn't move from her spot. Ives though, ran his nose all over her skin, searching for a truth in our words, in Alice's declaration. I felt his hesitation, but I knew he would eventually cave. My eyes trained on Alice, and I noticed that she was wearing Bella's jacket. I let out a small laugh, not believing how smart she was. No, Ives wouldn't be able to tell that it was only the jacket he smelled to purely. Alice probably smelled just like her.

"Such a brave little girl," Ives whispered. "So eager to save someone who means absolutely nothing. So eager indeed."

"I'll go with you," Alice said carefully. "But we have to leave now. You can't harm them anymore." I resisted moving. I held back the urge to jump up and carry her away to safety. Tears pricked in my eyes at her bravery- at her stupidity.

My hands began to grow warm, and I looked down to see that Bella had a bright gold aura. The sudden glow cast a light around our clustered group, but Ives didn't seem to notice as he looked at Alice like a starving man would food.

"Pull it out," Carlisle whispered. I hesitated only for a moment, and then reached down to grasp the backs end of the stake. I sent out silent apologies at any pain she would feel and pulled as quickly as possible. The sound was muffled, but I could hear muscle stretch, and I could hear the wood graze a bone in her back. Bella arched in pain, but didn't make a sound. My tears that had threatened were now pooling in my eyes. I was amazed at this woman. To go through so much and not utter a single sound…

Carlisle continued to speak over her, and I threw the wood weapon to the side. It clattered into the wall and remained motionless and forgotten. As Carlisle spoke, he pressed his hand to Bella's wound. I looked up and saw that Ives was still studying Alice, almost gloating over his prize. I couldn't let him leave with her; I couldn't let her leave my sight. If she did, and he found out she wasn't the one… he would kill her.

"You're not going anywhere with her," Edward then spoke up. Ives laughed, not tearing his eyes away from Alice's.

"You think you have any power over me, boy?" I looked behind me and saw that Edward was already in an attack position. I knew that he and Alexander wouldn't let anyone near Bella, but now Edward had taken it upon himself to protect Alice as well.

"No," Alexander spoke up, "you won't be going anywhere with her." Ives only laughed.

"I killed your little mortal over there," he motioned towards Bella, "you think you can keep me away from what I actually want? You think your little spell to save her life will help? You have no strength over me! None of you!" I shook my head- he was oblivious to what Carlisle was actually doing. He thought he was only trying to save her life. We just had to wait…

Only a mere second later, the gold glow in my hands exploded. I gasped, flying backwards into Edward. Alexander and Carlisle were the only ones who didn't move, but Ives and Alice stood in shock.

"No!" Ives screamed. He threw Alice to the side, and I listened to her impact on the glass wall. Edward pushed me off of him and we both stared down at Bella as we witnessed the most wonderful thing we'd ever seen.

Bella was sprawled on the ground, her eyes wide. Every inch of her body was glowing- but most of all, the wound in her stomach was closed completely.

"Edward…" I whispered. I didn't know what to say to him, but I could feel the love and amazement that flew from his every fiber. Bella sat up, looking around, and then her eyes stopped on Alice. The loving feelings I was getting from Edward disappeared in a heartbeat, replaced by fury, rage, and hatred tenfold.

"Shit," I muttered, doubled over from the emotions radiating from her. Bella flew to her feet with grace and turned to Ives. The man had the nerve to laugh at her.

"You think you can hurt me, little one?" Bella didn't respond. She glimmered through the room, becoming the only light source on the entire campus it seemed. She opened her mouth and let out an ear splitting screech, causing everyone but Ives to cover their ears. Bella looked down and stared at her hands, causing all of us to do the same. My eyes remained on her fingers, and I gasped in shock when her fingernails started to grow.

The ceremony was complete.

"Jasper, we did it," Edward said softly. He sounded so happy, and when I turned to him he looked exultant. He was right- there was nothing to go back on now. I looked at Carlisle in awe, amazed that he was able to pull this off. Glancing down at his hand, I was not surprised to see that the knife wound was completely healed. My eyes made their way back to Bella, and was pleasantly surprised to see that her nails had grew all the way out, a deep gold color instead of the expectant black. I stared in surprise as Bella ripped her shirt off of her, leaving her only in a white tank top. She arched slightly, bending her back without removing her gaze from Ives as two large cuts appeared on her back. My eyes couldn't move as I watched golden wings slowly sprout from those cuts.

"Amazing," both Carlisle and I said. Bella's wings stretched out at least six feet wide, and then came back down to her side. I was able to get a look at her face then, and was shocked to see that her eyes were no longer brown- they were solid gold.

She was a Ganduri.

Without missing a beat, she leapt over Carlisle and landed in front of Ives. The man didn't have a chance to react before Bella grabbed him by the arms and literally threw him through the air and into the wall that already had a hole in it. More plaster flew and the house shook under its damage. I stood along with Carlisle and Alexander, and I had to hold Edward back as he tried to move forward.

"Leave her," I said quietly. This was her fight. Carlisle moved to help Alice, but the rest of us remained motionless as Bella flew through the air to where Ives struggled to get to his feet. She grasped his left arm and roared as she lifted him from the ground and threw him back towards the large window that covered the wall. Ives groaned in pain as he leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He was unsuccessful though, and Bella grabbed a large metal brace that had come out of the destroyed wall. She looked at it with wonder only seconds before she looked at Carlisle and the rest of us. She then flew with astounding speed towards Ives and sent the metal rod through his mid-section.

"Doesn't feel so great, does it?" she asked when he screamed out in pain. Her grip tightened on the metal and turned it, sending it through him and into the glass behind him. The wall cracked, a web of splintered glass forming behind him. Bella stepped back and looked at him with venom in her gaze.

"What made you think you could come here, and hurt my family?" she asked. Ives only groaned in pain, holding onto the metal rod with empty hope that he would be able to remove it. No, Bella wouldn't let him move. "What made you think you could try and _kill me_?" Her anger soared through the room, hitting me like a battering ram.

"No, not again," Bella muttered. "Because you lost." She turned from him and looked down at the ground. She was stationary for the briefest of seconds before she stooped down and picked up the knife Carlisle had used to complete the ceremony. She looked up at me, and then at Edward, and then at Alexander. Her eyes remained on Carlisle for the longest amount of time, almost like she was asking permission.

And in the blink of an eye, she turned and threw the knife into the air, straight at Ives.

The sound was deafening, the sound of someone losing their life.

The knife entered through his forehead, and made its way through to the back of his greasy black hair. When the blade hit the glass behind him, it caused that web of glass to shatter completely, allowing his body to fall through the air and to the ground on the other side.

From my position across the room, I could see Ives' motionless figure, staring up at the night sky, all life gone from those monstrous eyes.

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**Well? Please R&R! You know I love it! The next chapter will be posted pronto- I know how you live for it :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Christmas! It was the first Christmas in seven years where I didn't have to travel anywhere, and I was able to wake up on Xmas morning and enjoy staying in my pajamas lol.  
Well, here is the next chapter :) I know a lot of people were looking forward to it. Oh- I want to dedicate it to my sister, Irish, who is actually reading Silver Bay haha! It was weird at first that she started to read it, but it's also pretty freaking awesome. ENJOY ALL!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do own the Amazon Kindle and every season of Grey's Anatomy! My husband is AWESOME! ~Ashley**

* * *

When I was seven years old, my mother's father died. I was oblivious as to what this actually meant, but my mom explained that Grampa was in heaven now with the angels. I imagined him dressed all in white, watching television with God. My child mind understood only one actually detail: Grampa wouldn't be around anymore.

When I was twelve, my Algebra teacher had a heart attack in the middle of class and died before the ambulance even got there. The entire class stood by, frozen because none of us knew how to perform CPR. My mom and dad made me go to the funeral, saying that as Mrs. Henderson's student, I was expected to go. I stood as far back from the casket as possible, not wanting to see her pale, lifeless face. Even the thought of her death had sent me into hysterics.

When Ryan died, my world ended. I holed myself in my bedroom, not caring if I saw another day. Not eating, not moving. I wanted to die.

When Ives died, I rejoiced. It didn't matter that I had thrown the knife that killed him. It didn't _faze_ me that blood poured from his wound like a river. I didn't cringe at the pale, lifeless face, that had it been anyone else, I would have been in hysterics once again. I only smiled, happy he was gone.

I looked down at the rubble that surrounded me, wishing suddenly that I had worn shoes. As I glanced at my uncovered feet, I noticed my hands. Although I had felt myself change, I hadn't actually paid attention. My nails were long, linger than I'd ever had them, and pointed into sharp claws. What surprised me most of all was the gold color to them. Almost shinning. There was a dull pain in my back; it felt like someone had scratched my shoulders too hard. Looking to my right, I saw a large gold wing, flexing and moving at my side.

And then my surroundings came flooding back.

Carlisle was hovering over a motionless Alice, while Jasper and Edward stared at me openly. Alexander was walking towards Ives, surely making sure that the man was dead. I wanted to tell him not to bother- the knife to the skill had surely killed him, and to my satisfaction stopping his heart.

"Bella." Edward's sigh caressed my name, velvet against my rough, new exterior. I trained my eyes on him, fighting the urge to dart them around the room and drink in my environment. I felt full of energy—my nerves alive with life that was beyond anything I had experienced before.

"Edward, I feel weird," I admitted. Both he and Jasper stepped forward, setting their hands on my arms. Their skin felt cold, like ice packs. Jasper's eyes kept drifting to the wings at my side, clearly amazed with them.

"Alice seems to be okay, just unconscious," Carlisle said. My gaze gravitated to his figure that huddled over my small friend, and I moved towards him, letting Jasper's and Edward's hands fall from my arm. My bare feet crushed the small pieces of drywall that lay across the floor, and the larger pieces cut into my skin almost painfully.

"Move, please," I said to Carlisle. He looked up at me, his eyes only widening for a second before he stepped back. I glanced down at Alice for a moment, unsure for the smallest of seconds of what to do. She looked… well, as lifeless as Ives. Minus the blood.

"Can you do anything?" Alexander asked from behind me. I turned my head and saw my reflection in the shine of his eyes. I was aglow, my eyes and wings being the same colored shine. I looked completely different in my opinion, an entirely new Bella. No wonder why no one could keep their eyes off of me.

"I don't know," I admitted to him. _But I was surely going to try._

"She's breathing, but her breath is sharp and shallow," Carlisle spoke up. I nodded, bending down beside her. I held my hands out above her midsection, palms down. Carlisle was right, her breathing was shallow, and I could hear her heart beat, slow and uneven. It frightened me, how tiny she was there on the ground. But what rang so loudly in my mind was the fact that Carlisle had stepped aside so that _I_ was the one to see to her. The youngest of the group, but apparently the most able in this situation.

I looked down at Alice's face and smiled. Almost immediately I could feel warmth spread through my hands. The gold glow started in my fingers and glided right into Alice. Just as the glow encased Alice entirely, I felt a gust of wind fly by me. I opened my eyes, wondering where the wind had come from. I was surely too far away from the window Ives had crashed through to feel such wind. But when I opened my eyes I saw that no one else seemed to be effected by the weather change. Only I had my hair whipping around my face, blocking my sight with long strands of gold.

I felt weightless, free within my own body. Almost like I had jumped off the side of a cliff and all my organs had stayed put while I continued to fall. I could feel the feathers of my wings flutter beside me, right along with my hair. Edward and Jasper walked around me until they were within my line of sight, their eyes trained on my face. Both were in awe and I could see Jasper twitch as if he were going to jump forward to help. I didn't blame him though, seeing his internal debate. He wanted to help, but he had no idea what to do.

"Do you feel it?" I asked Jasper. He nodded, not needing to ask any further into what I meant. I wanted to know if he could feel the energy- the power- flow through my every fiber. With his gift, I couldn't imagine him not getting encased in the emotions.

I looked down again and smiled when I pushed my energy outwards. The gold rays that connected me to Alice shone brighter than before, a wave between us. My ears were trained on her heart, and I felt my pulse quicken as her heartbeat gained speed.

"Do you hear that?" Carlisle asked no one in particular. Yes, everyone heard it. Everyone heard her heart speed with the energy that I gave her. Everyone heard her intake of breath as she gasped for air. And everyone saw her eyes fly open in shock, causing me to pull my hands back suddenly. The golden flow between us broke immediately, and my weightless feeling slipped away.

Carlisle slid in beside me, his hands fluttering over Alice almost immediately.

"Alice, how do you feel?" His question went completely unheard as Alice's eyes trained on me. Her eyes were large, unblinking as they traveled over my face, my hair, my wings, my entire being.

"Bella?" Her voice was small and weak, barely audible above the movement around us. Edward moved to my right while Alexander and Jasper dove in to check on Alice.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"Alice, how do you feel?"

My eyes shot around me, somewhat ignoring Edward. I wanted to know how Alice was; I needed to make sure she was okay.

"Alice?" My voice was high above the others, and everyone's eyes flew from me to Alice. She sat up, leaning into Jasper's touch as he held her up. Carlisle held his hands up on her other side, prepared to help if she fell to the other side.

"I'm fine guys," she managed to get out before she lunged at me. Her arms wrapped around me, squeezing me into her with all the strength she had. I laughed, hugging her back.

"So you're okay?" I asked. Alice pulled back and nodded, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm fine, I guess. Have you seen yourself? You're a freaking bird!" Jasper and Edward laughed, and even Alexander managed to crack a smile. Carlisle managed to infiltrate our bubble and look Alice over, making sure she was, indeed, fine.

"You saved her," Jasper whispered. I fought the urge to shrug, not knowing if I actually had saved her. I didn't even know if her life had been in danger. I only reacted on instinct, wanting her heart to beat normally.

"Alice, why on earth did you show up tonight?" I asked. She looked around, her face tingeing pink under the interrogation.

"You needed me." My eyebrows flew up into my hairline.

"How did you know that we would need you?" Alice tapped her forehead with a smirk.

"I know things, remember?" I laughed; yes I remembered.

"_You _saved _me_," I told her. Alice looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"You're my best friend," she whispered. I flew forward, wrapping my arms around her this time. Such a brave thing to do in her case. With everything that I told her about the Ganduri's… for her to risk herself just to save me. Just the fact that she seemed to know what was going to happen, knew that Ives would be there, and knew that Ives was looking for the female Ganduri. And still put her at risk.

"I can't believe you," I laughed. My laugh, though, was suddenly cut short when I felt a sharp pain in my back. I screamed out, my eyes traveling around the group, looking for any indication that they could see what was harming me.

"What _is_ that?" I shouted. Carlisle's hand settled on my arm, a soothing smile on his face.

"Your wings are retracting for the first time." Retracting? "It's going to be uncomfortable, even painful. But you will get used to it." I nodded, the trust that I had in him making its way to the surface. If I had to trust him at all, I needed to trust him when it came to the Ganduri's.

I closed my eyes as I felt a rough scratch travel along my shoulderblades. The knife-cutting feeling lasted long enough to where I could feel movement under my skin. It amazed me, really, and I wondered where exactly the wings went when they weren't 'retracted'. When the pain dulled slightly, I opened my eyes and glanced down to my hands. My fingernails were already back to their normal length as well as their normal color.

"Do I look like me?" I asked pointlessly. Alice only shrugged, shaking her head slightly.

"I want to say that you look normal," she said, "but since I've known you, you've changed about a million times. I guess that took your normal card away." Scattered laughter followed, and I smiled. She was right- I knew I looked different, but _how_ different was what I was worried about. Would anyone recognize me? Would the students stare?

"What's going to happen now?" I whispered. Alexander set his hand on my arm and shook his head.

"Let us not worry about that right this moment, we have other things to take care of." So true. I looked to my left and eyed the lifeless figure of the man who had tried to kill me. The blood had stopped flowing from the knife wound, but his eyes were still staring up towards the sky. What was going to happen to Ives' body? How would we explain a dead man on a school campus to the police?

"We don't involve the police," Edward piped up. My eyes shot to him in wonder. He smiled, eyes glittering.

"You're kind of screaming your thoughts." Oh. Oops. I would have to be careful with that. But my mind began to race away from me, coming up with images of burning the body, burying it on the side of the mountain, even attaching weights to it and dropping him into the lake.

The next few minutes were a whirlwind as Carlisle called Esme and told her to come to the main house. I helped Alice off of the floor and stepped back to huddle against one of the walls as the others approached Ives. Edward stood at his head and Jasper stood at his feet, both of them grabbing hold of him and lifting him into the air. They approached the stairs and disappeared behind one of the many doors. Alice and I stood together, alone, taking in all of the mess we had all created.

"What do you think they're going to tell the rest of the school?" Alice asked me. I opened my eyes to tell her that I didn't know, but I froze. Part of me did seem to know, but I didn't want to frighten Alice with details. So instead I shrugged, brushing the question off.

"Thank you for coming," I said softly. Alice wrapped her arm around my waist, pulling me into a hug.

"Of course, what are friends for?" Laughter bubbled out of me and I squeezed her back.

"How did you know to come though? I know you told the others that you just _knew_ things, but..." I couldn't think of the right way to ask the question that was on my mind, so I let the question drift off. Alice pulled me towards the nearest couch, which brought back a wave of nostalgia- it was the chair I had sat in when I first arrived at the school. I had liked the chair because it was small enough to shun anyone away from wanting to sit with me. But at that very moment, Alice shoved me down into the cushions, and squeezed into it with me.

"Bella, I wasn't joking when I said that I knew things," she started. her eyes were bearing down into me, almost begging me to understand even before she told me anything. "Every now and then I sense when there is danger, or I'll see someone in my head and know what is going on with them at that very moment." I didn't move, I didn't show any expression. A touch of fear crept under my skin. Not the same type of fear I felt when I found out what Edward was, or what I had become. It was the type of fear you experience when you realize the 'normal' world that we knew of, was indeed full of supernatural things. Full of people, normal people, like Alice, who had special gifts as well.

"You don't have to believe me," Alice was saying. I cut her off with a nudge of my elbow.

"No, I believe you. Trust me, I believe you." Alice looked at me with tears in her eyes and set her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you." I only nodded, knowing that words wouldn't do justice at that moment. Just then, Esme walked through the front door, her eyes wide. The soft, warm exterior that we were used to seeing melted away, leaving a serious, authoritative one in its place.

"What the hell happened in here!" I looked around at the large hole in the wall, the rubble all over the ground, at the broken tables. And then at the pool of blood.

"Yeah, about that..."

* * *

Carlisle kept me in Isolation for the remainder of that week, to keep up with appearances. Fortunately, I was kept in the loop by Edward, Jasper and Alice. Alexander had disappeared for a while, according to Edward. He had to step out of the spotlight while Carlisle disposed of Ives. Something to do with other Ganduri being able to sense him easier. I only smiled and nodded, going along with basically anything at this point. Even though the transformation happened earlier than they wanted it to, I was still obligated to read all of the books given to me. This held my attention, and I spent my days curled up with the thousands of pages. Even Alice joined me in the evenings, under the ruse that she was getting extra therapy from Carlisle. I joked with her many times, telling her that she must be truly troubled if she needed therapy every single night.

On my last night in Isolation, I sat on the bed, staring into the bathroom and at my reflection in the mirror. There was nothing I could do about my hair or my eyes, there was nothing I could do about my change in appearance. It worried me, what the other students might say. Especially my roommates- they wouldn't be afraid to speak up and say something to either a teacher or right to me. I didn't need or want the attention, but it was surely on its way.

My hair was a dark gold, my eyes matching. I could hide the eyes for a while- just don't look at anyone directly. That was Alice's idea of advice. But I went from a brown haired, quiet girl, to a golden haired, confident person. The confidence wasn't something I could help. I tried to walk like I used to- I tried to hunch my shoulders and look down at the ground. But now, I walked with my shoulders back and my eyes taking in my surroundings. I wasn't afraid of much anymore. Alice told me to be careful. Edward told me 'silently' that it was hot.

Ah. Edward.

I hadn't let myself be alone with Edward much since that night with Ives. Since the night we told each other we loved one another; the night we had made love. I was scared that Edward would look at me differently. I was afraid I _was_ different.

Alice listened to my worries, quietly nodding and smiling when I needed her to do so. But she never had anything to offer- no advice or dictation as for what I should do. It seemed that I would be on my own when it came to Edward.

There was a knock on the door, and my eyes snapped away from my reflection. Carlisle peeked in the door and entered when he saw that I was decent. Just steps behind him was Edward and Jasper.

"Bella," Carlisle smiled. "I assume that you're ready to get back out there with the other students?" I sighed and nodded, trying hard to smile back at him.

"I don't feel like a student," I admitted. It was the truth- I felt older than just seventeen years old. Could it really be expected of me to go back out to campus and take classes and learn with everyone else? My eyes traveled down the line of smiling men. Yes, yes it was expected.

My eyes glided back to Edward, and I felt my eyes narrow slightly. His eyes were a piercing color... almost two toned. No longer just the grey that captivated me all those weeks ago. Now they had an equal amount of gold with them.

"You've changed," I said aloud to Edward. His smile dropped and his eyes darted to Carlisle before he cleared his throat.

"No, no I'm still the same Edwa-" I cut him off, standing and approaching him to get an unnecessary closer look. Yes, his eyes were almost the same color as... well, mine. I glanced up at his hair and sighed with relief that his bronze color was still the same. Oh, how I wished that I could see him in full transformation at that moment.

"No," I bit out, "your eyes. Your eyes have always been grey. Always." Jasper reached out and grasped Edward's upper arm, spinning him so that they faced each other. Jasper's eyes roamed Edward's face, looking for the changes that I had revealed. I could see that Edward was trying to turn away, trying so hard to look anywhere else but at us three. But Jasper grabbed Edward's chin with his free hand and jerked him in the direction he wanted him to look.

"Edward!" Jasper's gasp was followed by mumbling from Carlisle as he tried to see what Jasper saw. I stepped back, feeling a twinge of guilt that I had thrown Edward under the bus, so to speak. Edward looked anywhere but at me at that point, so I blended in with the woodwork.

"When did you notice the change?" Carlisle asked Edward. He shrugged, pulling away from their grasp.

"I don't really know," Edward's smooth voice infiltrated my senses. "I think I noticed it a week ago or so." I shook my head, remembering very vividly that I had noticed some gold flecks before that.

"At least a month," I whispered. Edward looked at me in confusion.

"You noticed it for a month?" he asked. I nodded.

"Sort of," I said awkwardly. "A few gold flecks here and there. But nothing like... well, now." Edward stared at me with a stoic look, and I felt suddenly horrible. Maybe this should have been something for just the two of us to discuss?

_I'm sorry,_ I said to him silently. _I didn't mean to throw you out there for them to examine you_. Edward just shook his head slightly, not answering me directly. The discussion about Edward continued around us, but neither of us spoke. Our eyes were trained on one another, mine pleading for forgiveness. After what seemed like an hour, Edward finally stepped back and motioned for Carlisle and Jasper to stop talking.

"As much as I would _love _to continue this discussion," he said with sarcasm, "Bella is supposed to be in her dorm right now. And dinner is in twenty minutes." That was what everyone needed, and the group began to disperse, Carlisle and Jasper still muttering to themselves. I grabbed my bags, one filled with the books that I hadn't finished yet, and followed Carlisle out of the Isolation room and down the hall. I watched Jasper and Edward head towards the Rec Hall, not even looking back. It saddened me slightly that I had created a rift between us in just the matter of a week. How would I fix it? Because Edward and I were stuck around each other for a _long_ time.

"He's mad at me," I said as Edward and Jasper disappeared from sight. Carlisle snapped out of his trance and looked in Edward's direction. He sighed and nodded, directing me towards my dorm room. All the students were in the Rec Hall at this point, only a few straggling behind, so Carlisle took me straight up to my room. When we walked through the door, I sighed with happiness at the sight of my bed. I wanted to crawl into it and never leave- to say I was tired of Isolation was an understatement. When I set my bags on the bed, I heard the door click shut behind me. I turned, confusion as to why Carlisle was still there.

"I need to have this discussion with you first," he spoke up, his eyes drilling into me, "and then I will speak to Edward." Oh no. There it was. The discussion. I knew it was coming- there was no way the Director of the school, and now my elder, would let a relationship between two such people go without a discussion. Carlisle motioned for me to have a seat on my bed, and he took the position across from me. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I knew that he could hear it.

"Normally," Carlisle said carefully, "I could never condone what you and Edward have going on. Normally, I would reprimand you both and make sure that you didn't go near each other." My heart spiked into overtime. He couldn't be serious. I knew that Edward and I had broken some rules, but to completely separate us until I turned eighteen... could that even be possible? Would I be able to do it? Could Edward?

My heart ached.

"Please." My voice was so low that I could barely hear it. The whisper somehow made its way to Carlisle's ears, and his eyes searched mine as if he were looking for something.

"Bella, do you love him?" Such a simple question. I didn't even have to think about it.

"Yes, more than anything," I found myself saying. Carlisle nodded, taking the knowledge in. Seconds ticked by, the incessant noise of the clocks hand echoing through the room. What was Carlisle going to do?

"There will be rules," he said. "Such strict rules that you will feel like you have me breathing down your neck at all times." What? My eyes popped open wide, my hands clenched into fists.

"You are seventeen, Bella. Edward is a teacher. You are a student. And even though there are only five years between the two of you, and that may not seem like a lot, I can see that you two are pretty serious about each other."

"Permission? You're giving us permission?" My voice was high and pitchy, surprise lacing each word.

"Permission is such a lose word," Carlisle said carefully. "What I'm saying is that until you are eighteen, and until you have free reign in a relationship, you will have to keep everything under wraps. You cannot have any public displays if affection. You cannot spend the night in each others' beds. You will be friends to everyone, with stolen moments whenever you can." I was off the bed and my arms were around Carlisle before I could fully comprehend what he was saying.

Carlisle was giving Edward and I his blessing. We didn't have to hide our relationship from the others. It was still going to thrive.

"Okay, okay," Carlisle laughed. I pulled away from the hug and smiled at him while he stood. "I have to get down to the Rec Hall, so I want you to get ready to merge with the other 'civilians'." Carlisle chucked at his personal joke and headed towards the door.

"I'll see you soon, Bella. Be good." I watched Carlisle walk out the door and close it shut behind him. My nerves were tingling, alive with an odd feeling that felt a lot like happiness.

"Shower," I muttered. I went to the closet and grabbed a fresh outfit- one that I hadn't worn in the past week in Isolation- and ran for the bathrooms. I wanted to feel fresh and clean when I went to speak to Edward. I needed to fix things with us- I needed to explain to him why I had been so distant since that night with Ives.

I was glad to see that I was the only person left in the building so close to dinner, so I turned on the radio someone had put on the bathroom counter. Not even looking at what CD was in the player, I pressed play and turned on the shower as hot as I could stand it. An unfamiliar artist started to play, but I didn't bother changing the music before I got in under the hot spray. My mind was wandering, thinking of the possibilities that lay before me.

So much had changed since my seventeeth birthday. Never a dull moment. Never did one day go by where my life didn't feel like it was upside down, shaken up and stirred.

"Bella." I jumped, letting out a scream at the voice. My arms flew around me in hopes to cover my _areas_ as my eyes flew around the steam in search of the person in there with me. My eyes finally lay on a silhouette standing right in the bathroom doorway. From where the person stood, they weren't able to see into the showers completely, which gave me the advantage. I squinted my eyes and gasped when I saw who it was.

"Edward?" He turned to my voice and I could see his eyes glow from the otherside of the steam wall. His face was alive, radiant even. I felt self conscious as Edward took a few steps so that he was able to face me head on. His eyes raked over my body slowly, causing goosebumps to pop up over my skin even through the heat.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. He glanced behind him for a second, listening for something I was sure. When he seemed satisfied, he turned back to me and slowly started to remove his boots.

"I talked to Carlisle," he whispered. My heart skipped a beat, but I continued to stand there as the hot water slid over me. "I talked to Carlisle, and I thought about what he said. You know, about putting our relationship off until you're eighteen or just keeping it on the down-low for now, ya know?" I didn't move. Edward reached down to remove his socks, throwing them on top of his shoes. My eyes trailed his every movement.

"You've been distant with me for the past week," Edward continued, pulling his sweater over his head, leaving him in just a white t-shirt. He took another step forward. "At first I thought it was me, but then I had a talk with Jasper." My eyes narrowed when he mentioned Jasper's name. My feelings were never my own when I was around that man, and I knew I had been left wide open to his disposal.

"Jasper has a hard time keeping his little gift to himself," I muttered. Edward smiled and nodded.

"Well, Jasper let me know that you've been feeling insecure whenever you're around me. I put two and two together and came up with the conclusion that you thought I wouldn't like you anymore. That I wouldn't love you now that you've changed. Am I wrong?" I didn't move, didn't breathe too deeply. I was afraid that he would see my insecurities and he would see all my open wounds. Edward took another step forward, this time popping the button on his jeans and pulling the zipper down. He was undressing.

"Are you joining me or something?" I asked. Edward let his pants drop, revealing dark blue boxers.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm joining you." Edward's eyes pierced into me, looking for any type of response. "Because I want you to know that I love you still. I love you, even after the change. Even after you got all shinny and gold. I love you now, just like I loved you last week. So, yes, I'm joining you, because I want you to know that I'm not waiting until you're eighteen. Age is nothing. Age is shit. Because I don't see you as a teenager. I see you as a grown fucking woman." I swallowed hard, letting my eyes zoom in on his chest when he ripped his shirt off of him.

"Ok." My voice was a whisper. Did he hear me? Edward smiled. Yes, he heard me. There was complete silence as Edward stepped beneath the hot spray with me. A few seconds later the music began again, drowning out the sound of our hearts beating in the ceramic walls.

_Now don't you be afraid_  
_We can always talk about_  
_No need to medicate_  
_Cause I know you're strong without it. _

_"_So suiting," Edward whispered. I dropped my arms from around me, letting them fall to my sides. Edward stared at me, two-toned eyes and all. My heartbeat continued to speed up, and I knew then that Edward was waiting for me. Waiting for my signal. So I gave it to him.

I jumped into his arms, letting my chest press against his roughly. That was all the signal Edward needed, because his lips were on mine, tongue not even waiting for permission before it plunged into my mouth. I managed to get my legs around his waist before he crushed me into the wall, letting his length press against me. I wanted the boxers to be gone; I wanted them to never have existed.

I somehow hooked my toes around the back of his boxers and pushed down, sending him the hint to remove them. Remove them quickly as possible. Edward took the hint and set me down so that my feet hit the tiled floor. He kicked off his boxers, letting them hit the wall with a wet splat. Without pausing he grabbed me, picked me up, and pressed me against the wall once more.

_You got me through the days  
When I thought I couldn't face it  
Let me count the ways  
The love we have you can't replace it_

I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck and pulled his face down to me once again. The feeling of his wet naked body against mine was indescribable. I ground down into him, begging for contact. Edward ran his hands up my side and settled them on my breast, palming them and kneading them softly. He then pulled away from my mouth and lay kisses down my neck, making his way to my nipple. He took my nipple in his mouth, sucking down and brushing his tongue against me. I arched into his touch, wishing somehow that I could get closer.

"Edward," I whispered. He grunted, not moving from his position on my breast.

_Just hold on, I'm not that strong_

I could feel the head of Edward's penis brush against my opening, searching for an entrance. I tried to push into him, but he held back. I whimpered, questioning him wordlessly why he would deny me such wonders.

"I need to be on you," he whispered to me. "I need to feel you under me." I nodded, reaching behind me and pushing away from the wall. Edward didn't ask, but lowered me to the hot floor, right beneath the spray of the showerhead. It felt wonderful, having the water cascade down our skin like a waterfall.

_There's a little piece of heaven  
Right here where you are  
The fact that you keep trying  
Is what sets you apart._

I arched into Edward's touch, closing my eyes as I reveled in his touch. A shock of pleasure rushed through me as Edward's hand traveled down my body, resting between my legs. He paused to look up at me, his eyes looking abnormally bright in the dim shower. As he held eye contact with me, he slid a single finger into my folds, running it along my clit. I moaned, grabbing onto his shoulders to hold him closer. Edward added another finger with the first and began to make circular motions. His face settled into the crook of my neck, and his breathing became ragged, brushing along my skin in sharp gasps.

I could feel the familiar build up deep in my abdomen, making my skin grow impossibly warmer.

As my hands clenched down on his shoulders, my fingernails cutting into his skin, I prepared myself for the orgasm that would be oh so splendid. Right before I opened my mouth to scream out, Edward pulled away.

"What?" I gasped. Edward then moved down and replaced his fingers with his tongue. The feeling of his warm tongue against me sent me over the edge in the matter of a second, and I arched into his mouth as I screamed out. His tongue flickered out over and over again, lapping up all the juices that flowed with the water.

"Bella," he murmured against my skin.

_Help me find the reason  
And I'll help you find the way  
To get rid of all your pain  
Little by little, day by day_

Edward moved his way up my body, sliding along with grace until we matched up perfectly. Legs upon legs, chest on chest, stomach on stomach. He shifted until he was just outside my entrance, and I whimpered out to him, begging for him not to stop.

"Please," I whispered into his ear. That was the green light for Edward, and he pushed into me slowly. I could feel myself stretch for him, feel every bit of him fill me. I bit down on bottom lip to keep from screaming out in pleasure. There was no pain, no uneasiness as he filled me completely. When he could push no more, he held still, letting us both adjust to the feeling of us being linked.

Very slowly, so agonizingly slow that I wanted to hook my ankles behind him to get him to go faster, Edward pulled out and then pushed back in.

_Now, you're far away  
And I'm alone to cry about it  
It's not a better place,  
When you die and leave me here to say_

Edward's fingers wrapped themselves into my hair and pulled slightly as he pushed into me again.

"So beautiful," he whispered. "So beautiful." Edward continued to move inside of me, and I rolled my hips in time with him, wanting to push him further inside of me than he already was. I opened my eyes, blindly looking around me for a focal point of some kind. All I could see were Edward's eyes. His golden eyes.

My head shot up slightly, coming a good inch off of the tile so I could get a better look. Edward continued to move, and I moaned in the midst of my investigation of Edward's eyes.

"Wait," I whispered. But Edward shook his head.

"I can't. I can't wait. I need you. I love you." Edward reached down and pressed his thumb against clit, pressing down as he thrust into me.

"I love you," I moaned. Opening my eyes, I looked up at Edward and gasped. My investigation was complete. I was staring directly into Edward's eyes, which were no longer grey. Not the slightest bit. They were gold, bright, shinning gold.

"Edward, your eyes." But he didn't hear me. Edward leaned back and arched into me, thrusting time and time again.

_There's a little piece of heaven  
Right here where you are  
The fact that you keep trying  
Is what sets you apart._

"Edward, I'm going to," I managed to get out. He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine as he thrust into me.

"With me," he whispered. "Come with me."

_Help me find the reason  
And I'll help you find the way  
To get rid of all your pain  
Little by little, day by day_

I was lost, lost in my world of Edward. The build up in my stomach returned, but I held back letting my release go.

"Edward, please." He pushed into me once more, searching my face with a smile.

"Okay." And just like that, with Edward's one little word, I let it go. My head snapped back, and stars appeared before my very eyes. A low moan left my lips, and I dragged my nails along Edward's back. His eyes were closed tight, his mouth open slightly as he emptied into me.

_You'll get stronger  
If you need me, I'm not far away  
So, just hold on_

The shower was filled with the sounds of water falling onto tile, of our heavy breathing, and of another song starting.

"Bella," Edward whispered. My eyes were shut, still concentrating on the feeling of him filling me. Edward moved above me, shifting slightly. "Bella."

"Mmmm," I moaned. A smile graced my lips, and I sighed with blissful happiness.

"Bella!" My eyes snapped open, blissful feeling gone. It took a second for my eyes to focus, and when they did I pushed back from Edward in one quick, fluid motion.

Edward's eyes were glowing a bright golden color, almost exactly the color of mine. His hands were shaking, his fingernails still short, but gold in color regardless. The water continued to cascade across his back, and it looked like the water was flowing over the gold aura instead of his skin.

"Bella," Edward whispered, fear in his eyes. "What's happening to me?"

* * *

***cower in fear* Don't hate me for mixing it up some HAHA. Please review- review's make me ecstatically happy :-)**

**~Song is Theory of a Deadman "Heaven (Little by Little)"**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello 2011! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Of course I made a bunch of resolutions... that I want so badly to keep *sigh* But currently my time and devotion is being spent in the land of Twilight :)**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the charachters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own the Eclipse board game and Cranium (it is my professional and personal opinion that every household should own Cranium. Best board game EVER! GOOD TIMES!)**

* * *

I found myself pushed against the wall of the shower, digging the heels of my feet in water, trying so hard to get as far back as possible. Edward was kneeling before me, eyes wide in terror.

"Edward?" I whispered. He shook his head and closed his eyes. I was baffled as to what was going on in front of me, but I forced back the scared feeling that bubbled to my surface and I stood slowly. He didn't seem damaged in any way, not injured or suffering. Only scared.

"Get Carlisle," Edward whispered. I nodded, not pausing for a second. Tearing out of the shower and into the changing area, I threw on the clothes that I had set aside. Before I even pulled the shirt down over my head, I pictured Carlisle's face in my mind and shouted to him mentally. I had no way of knowing if he heard me, but I had to get to him as fast as possible.

"Edward, sit tight! I'm getting help!" I shouted. I heard nothing from Edward and whimpered in fear. Tearing down the hall and past all of the bedrooms, I continued to scream for Carlisle.

_Carlisle! Edward needs your help!_Taking the stairs two at a time, I all but fell down the steps and through the front foyer. Opening the closet, I grabbed a pair of black boots and shoved them on my feet. It was a snug fit, but I had to make due with someone else's shoes. When I flung the door open, I screamed in terror. Carlisle was flying up the front steps with Jasper close behind, mirrored images of fright on their faces.

"Oh thank God," I whispered.

"Bella, what is going on?" Carlisle asked me. Jasper seemed to be on alert, his eyes glowing bright and his hands clenched into fists. It wouldn't take more than a single word to give him the okay to transform and fight that very moment.

"It's Edward, he's glowing!" Confusion flashed in his eyes, and I knew I made no sense. I grabbed onto his arm and started pulling him towards the stairs.

"His eyes, they're completely gold," I rushed to say as I pulled Carlisle up the steps. "And he has this golden aura that acts like a blanket of some sort. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but he's scared." Carlisle didn't say anything as he looked over his shoulder at Jasper. When we got to the bathrooms, Edward was still curled up on the shower floor, naked. Carlisle paused and looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"What exactly were you two... doing when this happened?" I groaned at Jasper's smirk and felt like shoving him against the wall.

"You're a big boy Carlisle, you can figure it out," I snapped. He nodded once, smirking as well, and made his way to where Edward remained motionless.

"Edward?"

"Carlisle, what's happening?" His voice sounded young- like a child who was scared at a horror movie. I wanted badly to go to his side and comfort him, but I had to step back. This wasn't something I could just will away. Carlisle turned off the water, sending the room into near silence. Jasper kept looking over at me, and I rolled my eyes.

Carlisle leaned down and spoke softly to Edward, his hand hovering above the gold aura. I wished so badly that I was in on that conversation, but instead stood with Jasper, pressed against the counter as music blared into our ears. As the next song began to play, scaring me because of the electric squeal of a guitar. I turned around and lifted the portable player off of the counter, using too much strength to toss it against the wall. I was satisfied when the plug came out of the wall, the silence nearly deafening.

"Was that necessary?" Jasper asked me. I glared at him and chose to speak into his mind.

_It was the stereo or someone's head. Pick. _Jasper seemed amused by this and nodded in response.

"Bella, please come here." Carlisle's request was quiet, but I could hear the stress in his voice. Moving to his side, I suddenly wished that I had a towel or something to cover Edward. Almost like I had said something out loud, Jasper tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a red towel.

_Thank you_. I draped it over Edward and watched as a shiver flew down his spine.

"Bella, the glow seems to be a shield of some sort," Carlisle said. Part of me wanted to say '_And...?'_Why was he saying this to me? "He seems to be going through what you went through during your 'acceptance' moment. Just more advanced." I watched as Carlisle reached out and tried to set his hand on Edward's shoulder. But his hand stopped about an inch from his skin, right outside the boundaries of the golden glow. Carlisle moved his hand along the misty shield, pushing down slightly as if he were looking for a weak spot. But it was indeed protecting Edward. From what though, I had no idea.

From behind me I heard commotion downstairs, signaling that dinner was over and the students were returning. I jumped back from Edward and turned to the door, terror flowing from my every pore. Footsteps began to fly up the stairs, and I moved forward with Jasper in tow.

"Keep them out of here!" Carlisle hissed. He didn't have to tell me twice. Jasper and I stood side by side in the doorway to the bathrooms, our hearts racing, as Rosalie and Alice came into view. Alice looked in our direction and then looked away. Like a whip she looked back, eyeing us carefully.

"What are you guys doing?" Rosalie asked. Other students came up behind them but didn't stop to ask about the gathering. Most of them didn't care. But a few did linger to hear our response. I didn't look at Jasper, just in case we seemed suspicious, and I smiled at Alice as calmly as possible.

"Someone slipped and fell, Carlisle is helping them." Rosalie stood on her toes, trying to look beyond us, but Jasper stepped forward and in front of her.

"You two don't need to worry about it, head to your room." Rose took a step back and glared at Jasper. I looked beyond them though at Alice, who was still staring at me with a glazed expression.

"Alice?" She was completely motionless, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Is he okay?" she asked. Even Jasper's jaw dropped open in surprise.

"How did you-" but I stopped mid sentence. _I wasn't joking when I said I knew things_... Alice's words echoed through my head, and I sighed.

"I don't know," I finally said. Jasper looked between the two of us and then turned to Rosalie.

"You need to go back to your room," he told her sharply. Rosalie scoffed and reached for Alice's arm to drag her along. But Jasper set his hand on Alice's and shook his head.

"No, she stays. Please go to your room, Rosalie." Rose looked pissed, and even worse, suspicious. Her eyes traveled between me and Jasper as if to ask 'What is she doing with him?' and then to Alice as if to ask 'Why her and not me?' Rosalie walked away, looking over her shoulder several times before she slammed the bedroom door shut. I couldn't give her another thought though, and turned back to Alice.

"Alice, what is happening to Edward?" Jasper asked. She glanced at him only for a moment before sighing.

"Love is deity," she said. The words slammed into me as I remembered them from both Edward and my dream. "Edward and you belong together, Bella. Not for a few years, not for a hundred... forever."

"I don't understand," I whispered. Alice stepped forward and took my hands in hers.

"No one wants to live forever, alone," she whispered back. "Edward is meant to be with you." My eyes closed as I tried to catch my breath. Edward's eyes had changed around the time I had started to take the serum. It was gradual, but the change was there. The last time I saw him in full transformation, his grey wings had taken on a golden hue, looking equal in the two colors.

Could it be true? Was Edward meant to spend all of eternity with me?

_Love is deity._

"With a prophecy, there's always so much left unknown," Alice said to me. Jasper continued to stand there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He was probably equally as lost as I was.

"Could it be true?" I voiced my thoughts aloud to Jasper. He looked at me in shock and opened his mouth to respond. Only a croak came out instead.

"Jasper, did I hurt him?" But Alice was shaking her head.

"No, he's not hurt Bella. You've helped him in a way... saved him almost." My mind was reeling. Alice was telling me things that, well, made sense. Sort of. But the shock factor was overwhelming. Our love for each other went beyond anything I'd ever imagined. The feelings surrounded me, through every fiber of my being. And now such a thing united us not only emotionally, but eternally as well.

Eddward and I were destined to be together. Not for a few decades like mortals. Not for a few centuries like Ganduri's. But forever. Did Edward even want that?

"Alice," I whispered, afraid Edward would hear me. "What if he doesn't want this? What do I do?" Alice looked understanding, but Jasper turned to me with shock all over his face.

"Are you insane?" he whispered. "Edward _loves_ you more than anything! He could never abandon you!"

_You don't know, _I said silently.

"Yes, I do," he whispered. Alice looked confused, glancing back and forth between Jasper and I.

_He loves me, yes, but I didn't even give him a choice. Forever is a long time. Who's to say he wants that?_ Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Alice held her hands up.

"What the hell? Your one sided conversation makes no sense." I gave Alice a small smile in hopes that she would just drop it.

_What do I do?_ Jasper remained silent for a moment until he seemed to settle on an answer.

"Go to him. That's all you _can _do. If it's not what he wants, then you have a lot to talk about. We'll figure it out." I trusted Jasper and his rationale, so I nodded once and turned back to the scene in the bathroom behind me. Carlisle was still speaking softly to Edward, and the gold shield remained intact.

_I'm not leaving you, Edward_. I hoped my voice would get through the barrier, and that he would hear me. _I'm not a hundred percent sure what is happening to you, but I'm not going anywhere._

"Bella," Edward whispered. I flew to his side, my hands automatically reaching to place them on his back. But instead of the wall that I was sure I would touch, I felt his warm skin under my hand.

"Carlisle!" I said in awe. There was no other sound besides the rapid breath coming from everyone as I continued to move my hand along Edward. The gold mist covered my hand like a blanket, caressing me softly as it got a feel of my energy. Before I was able to do anything further, the mist began to travel up my arm and around my chest. For some reason unknown, I didn't panic. It felt... natural?

Edward lifted his head from the tiled floor and gazed up at me. His eyes were bright, mirroring my own, I was sure.

"Bella, Edward, we need to get out of here," Jasper spoke up. I could hear the murmurs coming from the students, some of them anxiously curious to find out why they weren't allowed in the bathrooms.

"He's right," Carlisle grimaced. I tried to remove my hand from Edward's back, but I was frozen. I tugged, even tried using my other hand to wrench myself free, but there was nothing.

"I can't move," I whispered. Edward closed his eyes in frustration as Carlisle stepped up behind me to pull on my shoulders. We gawked in wonder at the fact that I was attached to Edward. Before a conversation could begin on the 'how's' and 'why's', the gold mist shot outwards, covering me completely from head to toe. Carlisle reached for me, but was met with the same barrier he had met with Edward.

My mind was racing, throwing hundreds of possibilities in the air. But the only one that stuck to me- the only one that echoed in my mind, so pronounced- was Alice's explanation.

"We're supposed to be together," Edward and I said in unison. I choked back a sob, the feeling of understanding flooding me. Edward's lips turned up in the corners, throwing me a smirk.

_I'm okay with it,_ Edward said silently. _Being with you forever is the best thing someone could ever tell me_.

_I love you,_ I said, tears filling my eyes. I moved my hand through the mist and set it gently on his. When our fingers touched, a burning sensation shot through me, causing my eyes to slam shut in pain.

_"Ahh_!" I screamed. I could feel the heat beneath my fingertips, and I knew then that Edward felt it too. Carlisle jumped next to us, and I could sense Alice and Jasper move closer.

_Acceptance. _

The word slammed into me, and it made sense. Edward and I both accepted the fate that had been laid out before us. With that, comes changes. My eyes shot open and I felt a twinge of fear. I had already changed so much, could I deal with anything else? How would Edward feel when something changed with him.

"Why are you scared, Bella?" I felt Jasper behind me and I turned my head to look into his trusting eyes.

_Edward is going to change. I'm going to change even more. How can I accept that I could possibly be destroying the man that I love?_ Jasper looked at me, evidently surprised at my train of thought. We were silent as the fire tore through both Edward and I, and while Jasper stared on.

_What do I do, Jasper?_

_"_I don't... I don't know." The fact that I was surprised had nothing to do with Jasper's lack of advice. I was surprised that I had no advice for myself.

Carlisle looked between Edward and I with sadness, and Alice looked at Jasper and Carlisle as if she were going to scream at them to do something. Jasper glanced over to me, silently searching for a way to help. Edward, though, was looking at me with that damned smile. I wanted to pull away, and push away all the thoughts of acceptance. Because right now I couldn't accept the fact that I could be destroying Edward's life. The fire in the hand Edward held sparked, and I jumped. My eyes flew to his, and I raised an eyebrow.

Another spark.

_Edward?_I felt like I had my hand on a prank buzzer, the shock traveling through my fingers and into my palm. My vision began to blur, turning dark around the edges. The darkness was immediately replaced with an image of Edward and I flying over the forest, hand in hand. Edward was looking at me, mouthing words that I didn't need to hear to understand. _Love is deity._

The image then changed to Edward and I in front of the Director's house. It looked different, slight changes in the surroundings and decor. We were holding hands while looking out over the school, smiling. Behind Edward, a small cross was nailed to the house. I blinked as I read the words etched into the wood.

_In remembrance  
Carlisle Cullen  
Founder of Silver Tree Academy_

The vision snapped away, and I was suddenly back in the bathroom. I could hear drops of water fall from the shower heads, through the air, and hit the tile floor. Alice shifted behind me, stepping closer to Jasper. I looked down at Edward with tears in my eyes. Just like that, the golden mist disappeared. My heart hurt at the vision of Carlisle's apparent death. How far in the future did the vision of Edward and I take place? Did we take over the school after Carlisle's passing?

Carlisle's lips were moving, but I heard nothing.

Where did the visions come from? Were they accurate?

Hands were suddenly on me, trying hard to get me to look away from Edward. The object of my gaze was motionless, staring back at me in awe.

He had seen it, too.

"Forever," I whispered. My voice was distant, but it cut through my haze like a knife. As soon as I heard my own voice, my ears began to ring and my hands began to shake. Edward sat up, the towel falling to the cold ground. He didn't care that he had no clothes, and turned to face me.

_Let it happen_, Edward's voice entered my mind. I nodded.

_Okay._

With my single word, I felt someone pull on me once more. I glanced behind me and saw that it was Carlisle. His lips were moving, but I heard nothing. I pushed off his attempts at removing me from Edward and smiled at the man kneeling before me. His hands were on my arm, his skin still on fire. I sighed, nodding. Yes, we belonged together.

"Forever," Edward smiled back at me. Carlisle took another step towards me, but was immediately blocked by the return of the golden shield between Edward and I. I was almost pushed back from the sheer force, but Edward held onto me tightly. Everything disappeared but the two of us, and I found it impossible to tear my gaze away from him. Edward's eyes glowed brihgtly, the grey all but disappearing. His hands that were attached to my arm tightened slightly and I watched as his fingernails grew slightly, darkening to the black that I had grown accustomed to. But in an instant, the black began to lighten into a dark golden color, matching the color of mine exactly.

Yes, Edward was changing.

I reached up with my other hand and grabbed Edward's arm for support. The heat was growing, and before I could open my mouth to say anything, I felt a heavy wave of energy push me upwards onto my feet. Edward rose as well, our touch never breaking. I could hear Jasper and Carlisle yell at Alice to watch the door to send anyone away, and then I felt Jasper's panic flow through me. It didn't effect me at all, but I sensed that Carlisle was egged on by someones emotion on top of his own.

Edward and I were standing face to face, surrounded by the heavy energy. I felt it flow through me, almost gliding along with the blood in my veins. It was becoming part of me, part of Edward. It was joining us, two souls uniting into one. I had no doubts in my mind at this point. My life had been planned out at this point. All of the things that lead me here, all of the people who had been hurt just so I could get to where I was. Sad, yes, but it was destiny. Tears collected in my eyes for Ryan, who tried to save me from the hell my life had been. A tear fell for my mother, who undoubtedly was suffering from the abusive hand of my father. But I smiled at my new family, at my new friends. I smiled for Edward, who had agreed to spend the rest of his life with me. He stood before me, going through all of the pain and all of the strife just so that he could love me forever.

He was heading into the unknown for me.

"I love you," I mouthed to Edward. He mouthed the words back to me seconds before the energy between the two of us exploded. Had it not been for the grip we had on one another, we would have gone flying backwards. The dark bathroom was now immersed in a ray of light, so bright that the others had shielded their eyes from being blind. My chest began to seize, like someone had knocked the wind out of me. Surprisingly, my eyes remained open even through the blinding glow. I watched Edward squeeze his eyes shut, mouth contorted in pain. I wanted to take his pain away, to let him feel peace and serenity, but I wasn't able to move. The burning flowed through me like a fire, paralyzing me to where all I could do was watch.

It lasted a few minutes, Alice hunched near the bathroom door, shielding us from anyone. I knew that if anyone had walked by at that moment, though, they would be able to see the scene with no problems. Jasper and Carlisle tried to move towards us, unsure as to how to help us.

Almost like a switch being turned off, I felt the fire leave me, and I fell to the ground. My hands were still on Edward, and I felt him stir beneath my touch.

"Isabella?" Carlisle whispered. I looked over to him, shocked to see that he and Jasper were both grinning. I tore my eyes away from them and looked back at Edward. He was looking at me in shock, his limbs still shaking slightly. But what I couldn't look away from was the fact that Edward had indeed changed. His eyes were no longer the solid grey color they had been just months ago. They were the exact gold color as mine, lined in a dark ring of silver. I say silver because there was no end to the shine that emanated from the ring. His hair was still the beautiful bronze color, but now with a touch of gold highlights. His skin held a sort of sparkle that had not been there before, and I wondered what it would look like in the sun, or if it would even last. His nails were back to their human length, but I knew that when they grew, they would also be gold.

"What?" Edward whispered, working out the kinks in his shoulders.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who will have to face the Spanish Inquisition," I told him. His eyebrows raised and I laughed. "You changed." With that, Edward let go of me and stood, facing the mirrors on the far wall. His eyes grew wide at what he saw, his hands traveling upwards to run through the locks of hair.

"I look like you," Edward breathed. Jasper chucked and decided to choose that moment to embarrass Edward.

"No, _she_ has clothes on to cover her private parts. Different private parts, I'm sure." Yes, Edward then took into account that he was naked and moved to pick up his clothes from the ground. Alice was examining the tiled wall with fake interest, not wanting to see everything.

I took a deep breath as Edward pulled his pants on, leaving his shirt on the ground. He looked up at the sound and his eyes met mine.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. I pushed up to walk towards him, stopping only a foot in front of me.

"You and I happened," I responded carefully. "What we have... it changed something. We changed part of the prophecy I suppose."

"So you and I..." Edward smiled at me, but couldn't finish the sentence. Alice turned from her post in the doorway and approached our side. She was grinning ear to ear, glancing over to Carlisle and Jasper only once before she couldn't contain her excitement.

"You two are going to live forever! Love is forever!" Carlisle gasped and Jasper grinned along with Alice. My eyes never moved from Edward's though, afraid that he would suddenly regret what had happened. I didn't know if there was a chance to change it all... it could be irreversible.

_You okay with that?_ I asked him silently, afraid that if the words were spoken out loud, they would be all too likely to ruin his smile.

"I am _more_ than okay with that," Edward responded aloud. He took a step towards me, closing the distance between us, and gathered me in his arms. His lips crashed down on me, pushing all of the air out of my lungs. I paused for only a second before my arms wrapped around his neck and I pulled him down to me.

"What is going on here?" The voice came from the doorway, and we all jumped, Edward and I flying apart. My heart rate spiked and my vision wavered. When I turned and saw who it was though, my eyes closed to steady my breath.

"Alexander," I whispered. Carlisle rushed forward and pulled the man into the room with us, his lips already moving as he discussed what had happened. I tuned them out, all of my energy and attention focused on Edward. He had decided to stay with me, forever. My heart could barely contain the joy that I felt. Carlisle rushed to finish his story, and the second he was finished, Alexander was staring at Edward and I in awe.

My eyes traveled to Alexander's for a second so I could smile at him, but when I looked away, I found myself looking back quickly. The look I had seen in his eyes was gone, and now he was smiling just like everyone else. I froze, my eyes traveling over the man so quickly a normal person wouldn't have been able to see it. But I found that it was hard to look away. All I could think was that there was something _off_ in the way he had looked at me. Almost if...

No. I shook the thought away and turned back to Edward. I was happy. Honest to God happy.

"Let's get you to your room," Edward whispered. I nodded, but pulled away. The hurt look on his face made me smile, but I lifted my hand to his cheek to reassure him.

"You sure can't bring me back in the room. You're half naked and dripping wet." Edward looked down and smirked. "Alice can walk with me." Alice continued to jump up and down next to us, still excited about what had just happened.

"Carlisle?" I turned to speak to him. His eyes darted to me immediately, and I smiled. "Thank you." Carlisle's face relaxed and he returned the smile.

"You are very welcome, Bella. Are you okay? We still have so much to discuss. How did you know?" I shook my head and squeezed Edward's hand.

"We'll talk tomorrow," I said simply. Carlisle nodded, but I could see the questions rushing through his head. I knew he would be up all night thinking about it.

"Okay, Bella. Now, go to bed. You have class tomorrow." I laughed and gave Edward a hug. He pulled me close and kissed the spot below my right ear. The feeling of his lips on my skin sent more waves of emotion through me, and I could feel the discomfort coming from Jasper. I laughed again and pulled away from Edward. Turning to Carlisle, I hugged him close, and made my way around the circle. Alice was last, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Let's go," I said to her, "it's bed time." Smiling at each other, we walked to our room, with several pairs of eyes burning into our backs.

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**Please R&R! What do you think is in store for Edward and Bella? They're 'happily ever after', right?**

**I will be very honest... I'm able to do many things with this story at this point. I can end it or I could put a little twist to it... and it's a shame to say that I haven't exactly decided yet! Was that shitty of me to say? :( I'm sorry. Don't hate me too much lol *AM***


	22. Chapter 22

**Hola people! Here is the next chapter, and by the end of this chapter you will see which direction I have decided to go in. LOL, please enjoy!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the bood and/or movie. But I do, however, own a new laptop! WooHoo!**

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Eight Months Later...

I would never know how to explain to anyone if they asked me how much my life has changed since I came to Silver Bay. Most likely I would smile and look at the students and teachers around me. I would breathe in deeply, feeling the fresh air fill my lungs. I wouldn't know how to explain how happy I was; how that if I had never come here I wouldn't be the same person. I would still be comatose in Forks, Washington. What I did know, was that I wouldn't trade what I had for the world.

The days after Edward and I 'accepted' the change were spent in a haze. Students noticed the change in Edward's appearance, and even began to compare his looks to my own. We brushed it off with the usual excuses, Edward saying he got contacts, etc. But what surprised me was the reaction from my roommates. Rosalie seemed suspicious, but with the help of a flippant Alice, no one pressed me for information. Only Angela commented to me that Edward and I must be on some kind of drug for us to change like that. But with a few eye rolls and a fit of laughter from Alice, she never brought it up again.

We discovered soon after that night that Edward developed most of the same gifts as me. He was able to push his energy out to another person, and it was Jasper who pointed out the connection ability. When Edward or I connected with someone through our energy, we were able to hear their thoughts as well. It helped when we were a great distance away from one another. What Edward didn't seem to get was my rubber band vision. He tried for hours on end to get it to snap, but there was nothing. He didn't seem too upset about it, but I would catch him trying at various moments.

Jasper and Alice fell into a pattern, talking every night before curfew. I had my suspicions, and Alice only confirmed them. She and Jasper began a relationship. It was no where near as intense as mine and Edward's, but she honestly seemed to find her soul mate. I could tell it pleased Jasper as well due to the never ending grin on his face. I only wondered how Alice was going to break it to her boyfriend back home.

Carlisle dove into research mode, reading over countless books for any sign of what had happened to Edward. The only 'solid' thing he had to go on was what Alice had to go on was what Alice had said to me. Her ability to see the future at times made Carlisle's head spin, and even _he_ questioned her on more than one occasion. The only conclusion he had come up with at this point was that because Edward was my life partner, he would share life with me. As a gift from the 'powers' or whatever you wanted to call it. But Carlisle did voice something to me. If Edward and I ever separated, as in broke up, he wasn't sure how Edward would be effected. I only smiled and told him not to worry; Edward and I had no plans to separate from one another any time soon.

The only thing that saddened me after all these months was Alexander's reaction to everything.

After Carlisle had filled him in that day, he'd changed. He was quiet, and when he was around he was watching everyone at all times. We all questioned him, worried at times that everything was too much for him. Jasper had tried to get a feel for him emotions, but felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Like I said, we were worried.

The morning of my eighteenth birthday brought a sense of panic in me. I had spoken to both Carlisle and Edward about what would happen on this day. At this school, it was customary that any student had free reign to leave. Once they're eighteen, legally no one can hold them captive.

But I wanted to be there, I wanted to stay. I had to be there, I had to stay. But to justify my staying to any of the teachers and the students. Endless hours of discussion had brought us to me staying on campus as a new teacher. My music experience as a viola player would allow me to teach private lessons. Never had anyone done that before, but Carlisle was grasping at straws. No one would believe anything if I stayed on board for anything else. I sure as hell wasn't a teacher, and with me finishing my school work to where I had officially graduated high school, I was free.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Several voices screaming at me caused me to jump and almost roll out of bed. Peeking out of my covers, I smiled at Rosalie, Alice, and Esme. Dee had left campus two months ago, two days after her eighteenth birthday. She only stuck around those two days for Madie, who turned eighteen as well. Both of them had packed up their belongings and headed for New York. Their plan? To take the trust fund Dee had received and make a life for themselves. Neither of them wanted to go back to their homes, which were both on the west coast of the United States. To them, it was a permanent vacation. Angela was still on campus, as she turned eighteen on just two more weeks. She was worried that she wouldn't be welcomed back home, to where her strict parents loathed her. So she spent all her free time over the past few months applying to colleges around the country, as well as looking for jobs. She'd already gotten two acceptance letters to Universities, and now only needed to contemplate a permanent decision. Carlisle voiced to her how proud he was, and that he would help Angela in any way possible. If that meant helping pay college tuition, I'm sure he had no problem doing so.

"Thank you," I whispered, an embarrassing flush covering my face. Alice jumped on the bed and gave me a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Bella!" I looked at Esme and saw that she was holding a chocolate cupcake, alight with a flame. I didn't even need to think of a wish- I had so much already- and I blew out the candle.

"You guys are fabulous." Rose smiled and joined Alice and I on the bed.

"Yes, yes we are." Laughter filled the room, and I sighed. Rose was turning eighteen in just two months. She would be leaving as well, and I would miss her immensely. After that night that Edward had 'change', she seemed to be intimidated of both Alice and I. She would never say it outright, but the fact that the two of us seemed to have an 'in' with the teachers and staff probably made her feel a little uneasy. Since then, she had more respect for us, and we all became closer. I could never tell her my secret, but I could sure as hell have a good friend for while… at least until I stopped aging and she would notice.

"Where's Edward?" I whispered to Alice, hoping that Rosalie didn't hear me as she laughed with Esme. Alice grinned at me and motioned her head to the door- he was outside apparently. I returned her smile and could only think one major thing: I was eighteen- our relationship didn't have to be kept hidden.

_Edward, you out there? _I said silently. I could hear heavy footsteps downstairs, and almost immediately his response filled my head.

_Yes, love. Happy birthday. When will you grace us with your presence?_ Us? I wondered who was with him. I jumped out of bed and went for the closet. Not two seconds later Alice was pulling me out of the space by the scruff of my neck.

"Alice! What the hell?" She pulled me back towards her bed and pushed me down to sit again.

"You have to open my present." My eyebrows shot up, most likely disappearing into my hairline. I glanced at Rosalie and Esme, but they only laughed. I was on my own. I rolled my eyes and looked at an impatient Alice. I held my hands out and plastered a smile on my face.

"Can I have my present, please?" I asked nicely. I said the magic words, because Alice's face lit up like the Las Vegas strip as she ran to her bed and grabbed a box that lay beneath it. Rushing back to me, she placed it gently in my hands and motioned for me to open it. I couldn't help but get a tad bit excited at the sheer size of the box. It was easily three feet long and several inches thick. It was wrapped in a light blue wrapping paper, and a large gaudy blue bow on top. I almost didn't want to ruin the beautiful wrapping job.

Almost.

I tore the bow off the top with a squeal and slid my fingers beneath the paper's edges to tear it away. It didn't take long for me to unearth a white box. I tore the top off of it and pushed aside white tissue paper to reveal black leather. My eyebrows went up again and I looked up to Alice.

"What is this?" She sighed impatiently and reached in the box to lift the leather. It turned out to be a leather jacket. The most _adorable_ leather jacket I had ever seen. I gasped and set the box aside so that I could grab the piece of clothing out of her hands. Holding it up to my chest, I saw that it was short, stopping about three inches above my stomach line. The sleeves were snug, with a zipper along each wrist line.

"Alice!" I couldn't formulate words, I was speechless. I looked at her with tears in my eyes, not believing that my friend had gone to so much trouble.

"Oh my God, that's Prada." The whispered words came from Rosalie, and when I turned to her, I saw that her eyes were glued to the jacket in awe. Alice just waved her off and took it out of my hands.

"There's more," she said happily. I gawked and turned to look at the box again. She was right, there was more. I lifted an ivory, sleeveless turtleneck from the box and gasped at how marvelous the material felt in my hands. And still, I looked down and saw that there was a pair of dark blue jeans greeting me.

"Alice," I turned to her and pulled her petite figure into my arms. I couldn't get enough hugs in before she pushed me away, laughing.

"Bella, it's your birthday, and I couldn't let you spend the day in something you had already worn. Besides, Edward needs to see you in something new." I seized up and glanced at Rosalie quickly. Yep, just as I thought.

"Alice…" I whispered. Alice's eyes widened slightly, but she tried to play off her slip up as nothing. But Rosalie was looking at us back and forth, her mouth open slightly.

"Edward? What do you mean, Edward?" Even Esme froze. Her eyes were lecturing me silently, and if the woman had actually been speaking, I'm sure a few curse words would have found their way to my ears.

"I mean… no, never mind. Let's get you dressed and ready for breakfast." Alice's save seemed smooth, and I stepped with her when she turned towards the closet, her arms laden with my new clothes. But we were stopped when Rosalie stood and placed herself in front of us.

"No, stop." Her eyes were flashing, curiosity radiating from every pore. "You said 'Edward'. And the only Edward on this campus besides the ugly new kid with acne, is the hottie Teamwork teacher. Now, _spill_." I tried to hold strong; I gave Rosalie a disbelieving look that clearly told her that she was losing her mind. I even rolled my eyes and waved my hand at her.

"Rosalie, you're losing your mind." I winced at Alice's insult, wishing she didn't have to say that.

"No! I'm not! Esme heard it too, didn't you?" We all turned to Esme, and she stood, her hands out as if she were warding off an attack.

"You girls enjoy your morning; I will see you at breakfast." And then she left. She abandoned us.

_Esme is so on my shit list! _I screamed silently to Edward. _Alice slipped up about our relationship to Rosalie, and she left us here!_ I waited for Edward to either come through the door or to respond, but all I could hear was muffled laughter coming from downstairs. I sighed, knowing there was no way out of this.

"Rosalie," I began. She pointed her finger at me this time, almost daring me to argue with her. I held my hands up as well, telling her silently that I came in peace. "Hey now, calm down." Rosalie looked at Alice as if she expected her to either run for it, or to lie her way out of the situation.

"Edward and I are together," I spit out quickly. Alice turned on me, her eyes wide at my truth. I warned her silently to shut her mouth. She'd done enough trouble that morning.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Rosalie screeched. I motioned for her to keep her voice down, and even managed to laugh.

"No, I'm not kidding you." I took a deep breath and waved my hand in the air before settling it in my hair to smooth the strands unnecessarily. "It started about a month or so after I got here, and we had to keep it secret. We actually still do to some degree." It was a silent warning, and I hoped that Rosalie heard it. She didn't disappoint.

"Of course, I understand." She was silent for a moment, and I took the chance to peek at Alice in question. We were both nervous, waiting for Rosalie's final verdict on it all.

"You are _so_ lucky," she finally said. I barked out a laugh and shook my head.

"No," I said gently. "We're not allowed to have much of a relationship. At least you have Emmett. The only thing you have to worry about is getting caught behind the Rec Hall." Rosalie's face turned crimson, and my mouth dropped open in mock shock.

"Rosalie! You dirty girl!" We all collapsed into giggles, and I pushed Alice towards the closet so we could get me ready. Before I walked through that door, I looked behind me at Rosalie, who was still lost in thought, a smile on her face.

"Rose?" She started and looked up to meet my eyes. "It goes without saying, I hope, that this remains the secret it was before." Her face softened and she nodded.

"Of course, Bella. I won't say a word to anyone." She had no idea how much I appreciated that. I may not be able to share much with her about my life, but sharing Edward with her was one step closer to having real friends than it was before.

I changed quickly, pulling the skinny jeans on and then a pair of black boots that would match my new jacket. I sighed and stared at my reflection in the door length mirror. I looked fabulous. With my hair being as light as it was now, and with my eyes being so bright, I looked wonderful. Alice seemed pleased, because she could only look at me with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Alice." She tore her eyes away from the lining of the jacket and met my gaze in the mirror.

"For what?" I shrugged, tugging at the hem of the jeans before turning to face her. I didn't want to say this to the mirror.

"For being the best friend anyone could ever ask for," I whispered. Alice's eyes immediately filled with tears. "I came here, ready for solitude. Ready to be miserable. But I met you, and I was able to trust you when I couldn't trust anyone else. I was able to include you when I had no idea what the hell was going on. I was able to turn to you when I thought Edward and Jasper were after me." We both laughed. "I'm able to call you my person- and I am so happy that I don't have to lie to you. I'm so happy that I can trust you." Alice threw herself at me and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, pulling me down to her height.

"I love you, sister," I whispered into her ear. Alice let out a sob, and we held each other in the confines of the closet.

"I love _you_, sister," she responded quietly. We pulled away from one another and laughed.

"Let's get you downstairs to that hunk of a boyfriend," Alice said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. I nodded, reaching out to catch one of her stray tears. Alice grasped my hand in hers and squeezed, smiling at me tenderly. I really couldn't have asked for a better person to share everything with.

We finally made our way out of the room and grabbed Rosalie on our way to the stairs. Arms linked, we somehow made our way down the steps, laughing the entire way. And there at the bottom, smiling at me with such tenderness, was Edward. I looked around quickly and saw that it was only him, Jasper, and Carlisle downstairs. Everyone else seemed to have left. Given the opportunity, I released Rosalie and Alice's arms and leapt into Edward's arms. He caught me, laughing, and hugged me closely.

"Happy birthday, Bella," he said into my ear, kissing the spot right above my turtleneck gently. "You look beautiful."

"I missed you," I whispered. He chuckled, and I knew I was being silly. I had just seen him last night before curfew. Edward pulled back and ran his thumb along my bottom lip. I knew he wanted to kiss me, but this was not the place. It was bad enough that we had an audience at all.

"Okay you two," Jasper laughed, "we gotta get going." Edward nodded, but didn't look away from me. Everyone moved towards the door but us, and only when Carlisle's arms darted between us and pushed us apart did we move.

"Just because I _understand_ the relationship," Carlisle grinned, "doesn't mean it doesn't feel like my daughter and son are going at it." I blanched at his analogy and listened as Jasper cracked up laughing.

"Priceless!" he chucked. I swung out and punched him in the shoulder, wishing even more that Edward and I were alone.

"Shut it, J." Jasper's eyebrow rose at my nickname for him, and I knew he hated it. But I did it anyway, knowing I could get a rise out of him. I darted past everyone and outside, breathing in the fresh air. Fall was coming, and the temperatures had already begun to drop. The jacket Alice had given me proved to be necessary today as a cold wind blew past me. Jasper came up behind me and linked his arm with me, just as I had done with the girls. I looked at him in surprise, and he just smiled, walking down the front steps with me.

"I need to talk to you," Jasper whispered. I looked around and nodded once. Edward caught my eye and I winked.

_Jasper needs to talk to me about something. We'll be back in a little bit._ Edward looked concerned for a second and nodded, smiling at me.

_Hurry back_.

_Save me a muffin_, I grinned. I let Jasper lead me towards the Director's house, his grip on my arm never loosening. He brought me towards the front, away from the view of anyone on campus. We sat on the steps that faced the small parking lot. The familiar white van that had brought me to the campus almost a year ago sat in its spot, gleaming from a recent wash. I leaned into Jasper as we sat, our arms still linked.

"People are going to talk," I joked. Jasper snickered and shrugged.

"Let them talk. You only wish you could get with this." He motioned down his body with his free hand and I laughed, giving Jasper's arm a hug. I really did enjoy him. I loved talking with him, and I could never have asked for a better brother.

"So what do I owe this wonderful moment to?" I asked. I let my eyes roam the skies, admiring the way the tall trees danced in the air all around us. I truly had fallen in love with nature.

"Does it scare you? Living forever?" The question caught me off guard, and I turned away from the scenery and laid my eyes in Jasper. He was sitting straight, staring out into the trees like I was. He didn't seem sad, only curious.

"What do you mean?" I choked out. For some reason the question frightened me.

"I've been thinking a lot about it," he continued, his lips only moving slightly as he spoke quietly, "and I honestly don't know how you and Edward can be so brave. It scares the shit out of me to think that I'll be loitering around for about nine hundred and seventy five more years. But you, you'll see Carlisle die, and you'll see Alexander die. You'll see me die. You'll see more people come and go, but you'll be with Edward forever. Forever, Bella." Jasper turned to me, his eyes shinning with unshed tears. "Doesn't that scare you?" I didn't know what to say. My mouth dropped open and I tried to close it, but found it more difficult than normal.

"Jasper…" I didn't know where to begin. Yes, it scared me. Living forever, actually _forever,_ scared the shit out of me.

"Please, tell me the truth," Jasper pleaded. "Don't sugar coat shit just because you're worried about my stupid-ass questions." I nodded, taking a deep breath. Okay, I could do this.

"You know, I haven't even had this type of conversation with Edward," I laughed softly. Jasper turned to me and sighed.

"I'll understand if you don't want to." He was being honest, but I had an inkling of a feeling that he needed me right that moment.

"No, it's okay." I sighed, squeezing his arm tighter to me.

"It scares the shit out of me," I said evenly. "Every second of every day. It scares me." Jasper watched me as I spoke, taking in my words.

"I don't want to watch everyone die. I don't want to lose Alice; I don't want to lose you or Carlisle. Alexander is another story all together." We both laughed, but I sobered immediately.

"I saw something the day Edward changed," I admitted. "I saw a vision of some sort, or Edward and I standing on the other side of this building. Behind us was a cross, a memorial of some sort for Carlisle. For his death."

"How come you didn't say anything?" Jasper asked. I shrugged.

"Would you have liked it if I said anything about _your_ death?" Jasper shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't think so. As much as Carlisle is okay with his life ending and his thousand years being over, and as accomplished as he'll feel, it's not something he wants to hear." Jasper and I sat in silence for several minutes before I took a deep breath and continued.

"It scares me, knowing that I'll live forever. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. The years that I'll be able to spend with Alice, the centuries I'll be able to spend with you and Carlisle, and even Alexander… the eternity I get to spend with Edward… it's all worth it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Honestly." I looked at Jasper again, curiosity filling me.

"Why do you ask?" Jasper took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I've been thinking more and more about Alice…" Ahh. Things began to click in my head. "And it's tearing me up to think that I've basically stopped aging. But she's going to keep going, and surpass me. Eventually she will want a family, and she'll want to move on. To think that I have to watch the woman that I love leave me… it kills me." My heart skipped a beat for them, and I was thrilled at the word 'love'. Alice and Jasper loved each other.

"Jasper…" But he interrupted me.

"You don't have to worry about leaving Edward, or about him leaving you. You don't have to worry about losing the man that you love, because as fate would have it, they made him immortal too. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic for you. I don't want to see anyone unhappy. But what about me?" Jasper turned to me, tears flowing down his cheeks. "What about me, Bella? What about Alice? It's not her fault that she fell in love with a monster. It's not her fault that the path she has chosen won't include a family or a life with someone. She chose to be with me, but that will get her no where. And I can't hold her down like that." My heart broke for them, for the people I called my family. My tears flowed as well, and I suddenly wished that I could trade my immortality with them. They could have it. I've been taking what Edward and I have for granted, not even thinking fully what it means. But here were Jasper and Alice, two people who loved each other, but had no future.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper." I had no words. Absolutely none. Jasper reached up with his right hand, brushing the tears away. His left arm tightened around mine even more.

"I've been doing research," Jasper whispered. His words caught my attention. "I've been reading all the books I can get a hold of, and there's nothing saying that the ceremony spell won't work on a female. Yes, you're a prophecy, and you've fulfilled the prophecy. But the fact that Ganduri's are only males is just the way things are. There's nothing saying that if I tried to change Alice that it wouldn't work."

"Jasper…" He sounded so desperate. My head was moving back and forth slowly. "You can't. What if you tried and it kills her? Carlisle won't go along with this." Jasper turned angry eyes on me, causing me to withdraw physically. My arm dropped from his as I shrunk back.

"So, that's it? Only you get to be happy?" His words hit me, and I recoiled as if slapped. _He didn't mean it that way_, I had to tell myself.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," I said. I shook my head again just once, and slid my arm back through Jasper's, needed the feel of his arm on mine. I needed to make sure he wasn't going to run away on me.

"Jasper, what if we performed the ceremony on her and she died? What if Alice doesn't even want this?"

"She'll want it," he whispered. "If it means being with me, she'll want it." He was right. If someone offered Alice the chance to live the next thousand years with Jasper, she'd drop everything without a second thought. Jasper looked at me with sadness etched in his face. I knew he was not asking for permission to do this. He wasn't asking me if this was the right thing to do. He was _telling_ me that this was what would happen. He was telling me that he would go about this route with or without my blessing.

"Okay," I said, nodding my head. Jasper's eyes widened and he wrapped me in a large hug.

"Thank you, Bella, thank you." I laughed into his shoulder, patting him on the back.

"I'm behind you, no matter what you do," I admitted. "I wish things were easier, but you have the right to be happy as well." I pulled back and made sure he was looking at me before I continued.

"But J, you know that this may not end up the way you want it to, right? I mean, figuratively speaking everything might be okay, but you have to prepare yourself for the chance that it can all go wrong." Jasper sighed and nodded.

"I know, but I owe it to myself and to Alice to try."

"Have you spoken to her about this?" For all I knew, it was a mute point. Alice may not want this life for herself.

"Yeah, we talked about it a couple of times. She told me that she would do anything to be with me." Jasper trained his hazel eyes on me and he smirked. "We are nothing if we don't try." I leaned down and set my head down on Jasper's shoulder. We were silent as we watched the trees across the street as they danced in the wind. I didn't even bother heading over to the Rec Hall for breakfast- I wasn't as hungry as I thought I was.

"Who's that?" I lifted my head at Jasper's question and saw that he was looking at the far end of the parking lot. I followed his gaze and watched as a black SUV pulled in.

"I don't know," I whispered. The vehicle looked somewhat familiar, but I just stared with Jasper as the engine turned off and the drivers' side door opened.

And my father stepped out.

"Oh my God," I muttered. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the man who I hadn't seen in months. The last time I had seen him was when I lifted a chair and shattered it over his back.

"Who is that?" Jasper asked me. His eyes were darting between me and the man who hadn't noticed me yet. My father glanced around the area, his eyes staring at the house in hatred.

"Oh my God," I said louder. Panic started to enter me, and my thoughts became scattered. What was he doing here? Why was he here? Because it's my birthday? Was he just visiting? Where was my mother?

My last question was answered when the passenger door opened and saw my mother step out hesitantly. I gripped Jasper's arm tighter, wishing that he would be able to take me inside quicker than my parents would be able to see me. Unfortunately, the second I moved to tell Jasper to get me inside, my dad moved his eyes to me.

The brown eyes that were once compared to the warmth of mine stared at me in shock. The shock turned into comprehension and then to anger.

"Bella." He said my name like someone would speak to an enemy, a greeting so cold and hateful.

"What are you doing here?" I asked loudly. My mother smiled at me and stepped forward, but Charlie walked around the front of the car and sent my mother a look that seemed to stop her dead in her tracks.

"It's your birthday, and we are taking you home." I blinked and felt Jasper squeeze my hand tightly. My father's words made no sense at all.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jasper; I'm one of Bella's teachers." Jasper released his hold on my hand and stood with his hand out to shake my father's. But Charlie just stared at the extended hand with disgust. My eye twitched slightly in annoyance. What Charlie was doing was _rude_.

"Teacher?" Charlie spit out. He glanced at me and then back at Jasper. "Do all teachers' sit with their hands all over the students?" Jasper dropped his hand and smiled. Looking over his shoulder at me, he arched an eyebrow.

"Shut your fucking mouth," I growled. "Mr. Whitlock is one of my counselors, and he's a good friend. How _dare_ you speak to him that way!" Charlie rolled his eyes, and Jasper stepped back to my side.

"It's okay, Bella," he whispered.

_No, it's not, _I said to him silently.

"I want you to leave," I said to my parents. "Thank you for visiting, but your presence isn't needed… isn't _wanted._" Charlie stepped forward and glared at me.

"Our presence? Isabella, we've come to take you home. We let you stay here and have your fun, against our better judgment. It was a mistake on our part to even bring you here. We would have been able to fix you at home. But you're done with school and it's time you thought about college. It's time for you to grow the hell up." I bristled at the way he spoke down to me, and I let my eyes trail to my mother. She looked so different than what she used to. Her bright eyes had sunken deep into her face, clearly the result of many sleepless nights. I recognized the type of clothing she wore- long sleeved sweater even though she preferred a jacket. Her hair that had always been pulled back was now hanging down, and I knew it was so the bruises on her scalp and neck were covered.

"What happened to you?" I whispered to her. Renee stepped back, as if her secret had been called out in the open. Charlie stepped forward and waved his hand at me.

"What happened to _you_?" he shouted. I flinched at his yelling, and realized that this was the first time they had seen me since my change. Charlie took another step forward and grabbed my arm. His fingers squeezed tightly as I gasped in pain.

"Let go of me!" I screamed. Charlie didn't have the chance to move back before Jasper's hands connected with his chest with such force that Charlie was sent flying back. The spot beneath my jacket where he had gripped me burned, but I was relieved that I no longer felt his touch.

Charlie flew back against the car, his eyes trained on his assailant. I looked at Jasper and saw that his eyes glowed slightly and he stood slightly in front of me as if to defend me.

"Unbelievable!" Charlie screamed. "I am a Police Chief! I could arrest you for assaulting an officer!" Jasper sneered and stepped further in front of me.

"No, Mr. Swan. You are not a Police Chief while on this property. You are just a man who was told 'no'. Bella does not want you here, and therefore I am going to ask you to respect her wishes. Leave. Now." Charlie stared at Jasper in shock before he turned to look at me.

"What have they done to you, Isabella?" he asked with a frown. "Your appearance is different… what did they do to you? Is that what is required to be a student here? To change and bend to their will? Is it a cult? Did they make you do this?" I gawked at him for just a second, not believing that Charlie would call this school a cult.

"No, you worthless piece of shit," I said evenly. "I haven't changed at all. It's called nature, being out in the open. No hair dye. No contacts. I'm _happy_. I've come to accept myself for who I am, and I sure as hell didn't need your help. Jasper is right, you need to leave. I'm not going anywhere." I turned to look at my mother, regret shinning out to her through my eyes.

"Mom, you don't have to go with him. You can stay here. Carlisle can get you help." Charlie stepped forward and motioned towards the Director's house.

"Isabella, you need to go back your things. It's time to go." I ignored him though, keeping my eyes on my mother.

"Is he beating you, too? You can't lie to me; I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in the way you carry yourself."

"Isabella, now!" Charlie stepped forward, but Jasper took the same step forward.

"Bella, please." My mother's words were quiet, but I could hear the double meaning in what she was saying. She wanted me to stop egging my father on… but she wanted my help as well.

"Mom, I can help you. But you have to come with me."

"That is enough!" Charlie stepped forward again and grabbed my upper arms with such strength that I cried out. Several roars sounded through the air, only one coming from Jasper. Jasper leapt forward and once again grabbed hold of Charlie. This time, though, he didn't let go. I was pushed backwards, and I landed on the ground ungracefully. My mother screamed and jumped back out of the way as Jasper pushed my father against the car. Two figures rushed past me, and I recognized Carlisle and Edward only seconds before they were grabbing a hold of Charlie as well.

Edward pushed his face into my fathers and growled again, his golden eyes glowing.

"What made you think that you could place a hand on her?" Edward whispered into Charlie's ear. Charlie was looking around in horror, not understanding how one moment he was the man in 'power' and the next second he had three men pushing him against his own car.

"Mr. Swan," Carlisle growled. "As much as I would like to say that it's a pleasure to see you again, I'm afraid that would be a lie. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the school grounds." Charlie tried to push free, but with Edward leaning on his chest, and Carlisle and Jasper holding an arm each, there was no way he would be able to escape.

"I'm not leaving without my daughter," Charlie grunted. I picked myself up off the ground and looked quickly at my mother. She was standing back, not wanting to get involved. And for one fleeting moment, I thought I could see a glint of happiness in her eyes. Was she happy that he was being held back by such force? Yes… I could see that she wanted Charlie to feel what she felt when he hurt her. She wanted him hurt as well.

"I'm not going with you," I spoke up. "So you might as well leave. Please." I turned to my mother and reached out, wanting once more to hug her. I somehow knew that this would be the last time I would see her; she wouldn't stay here with me so she could get help. I wanted to hug her just once more.

"Mom, I love you." I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her just once. But my hug was cut short when she cried out and pushed back. The four men behind me turned to stare, but I watched as my mother grabbed her arm in pain. My fingers twitched just once before I darted my hand out to grab her left hand. Pulling the injured arm out, I pushed her sleeve up with my other hand.

"Oh, Mom." Her entire arm was bruised, a graffiti wall of black, blue, purples and greens. A large cut extended from the crook of her elbow down to almost her wrist. It looked deep, parts of it red and scabbed over.

"Did he cut you?" I asked. It was one thing to hit with a rolling pin. It's one thing to push until you fall. But it's another to hold a blade to someone's skin and press until it cuts them.

I looked at my mother, noting immediately that her eyes were closed. Not relenting on my hold, I turned my head to Charlie. My heart began to speed up, and my vision wavered slightly.

_Bella, stay calm,_ Edward's voice entered my mind. I just shook my head.

"You _cut_ her?" I whispered. Jasper stepped back from his post next to Charlie and approached me.

"Bella, stay calm." I felt Jasper's calming effects wash over me, but I pushed them away effortlessly.

"You _cut her_?" I dropped my mother's arm and took a step towards Charlie.

"No," Charlie spat, "she fell." I held my hand up to stop him.

"You can't feed me that bull shit!" I screamed. "I was her a year ago! I was there!" Edward and Carlisle turned to look at me while loosening their grip on my father.

"It's one thing to be an abusive ass hole," I said with a slight sob, "but to cut her? To be a sadistic fuck? How could you?" Charlie pushed Carlisle and Edward off of him, his face red.

"You don't know anything, Isabella," Carlisle spat. "Your mother fell-"

"_No!_" I screamed. My hands began to shake and I watched as Carlisle stepped to the side and made his way around me. I knew he was positioning himself to where he would be able to grab a hold of me, but I didn't care. A gust of wind came from the forest and I closed my eyes as a few strands of hair covered them. I had to stay calm, I had to be strong. If I lost my cool, I could risk exposing my life…

"Bella?" Jasper's voice was close to my ear, and I opened my eyes to see his worried stare.

_I'm fine, J, _I said to him silently_._

I took a step forward, one step closer to my father; there was only five feet between us at this point.

"I don't understand you, Charlie," I whispered just loud enough to where he would hear me. "You attacked me on a daily basis because you weren't man enough to get professional help. You beat me with a fucking rolling pin because you wouldn't use your own hands. You even taught me how to cover every bruise up." Jasper's eyes trained on me, shock radiating out at me. I took another step.

"Because of you and your inability to be lax on a curfew, you caught Ryan's attention! He came back to the house that night and tried to save me!" I took another step. "Because of _you_, Ryan died that night. Because he was trying to bring me to the hospital. It's _your _fault." I took another step.

"But now, now that I've moved on from my life with you, you become even less of a man by going after _her_." I pointed to my crying mother, sad that it had all come down to this. "You… are such a _small_ man, Charlie." I took another step, almost face to face with him now.

"I _despise_ you. And I would never, ever, be within a twenty mile radius of you if I could help it." Charlie and I were standing face to face, glaring at each other. And in the smallest of a second, he leapt forward and grabbed hold of my arm. When I felt his fingers wrap around my arm in the familiar way that caused pain, my vision snapped and I twisted my body so that I could wrench free. Edward and Jasper leapt forward, but they weren't fast enough. I thrust my hands out and watched in pleasure as Charlie was caught by an invisible wave, sending him flying back against his car. The passenger side window shattered, sending tiny shards of glass over the pavement.

"Bella!" Edward's scream echoed through the air, and I felt arms circle around my waist. _Carlisle_. My feet were kicked out from beneath me, and I was lifted into the air. I watched as Charlie lay on the ground, grabbing his arm with a moan. There was a small pool of blood beneath his head, and I silently wished the blood would pour faster.

"Bella, stop!" I didn't know who said it at first, but Edward and Jasper were rushing to Charlie to see if he was okay. I knew I was careless, but I hated him. I hated him so much. I wanted him to die.

"Let me go!" I screamed. Edward looked up and his eyes stopped on me.

_Bella, please. Let Carlisle pull you away. Jasper and I can take care of your parents._ Edward then looked at Carlisle, and just seconds later he was pulling me back towards the house. When he opened the door and tossed me inside, I turned back to escape. I could see the scene outside, but stopped once I reached the door. I knew I couldn't fight Charlie. I had to let the others stop me before I made a huge mistake.

"Bella, are you okay?" Carlisle was there beside me, his hand on my shoulder.

"I don't want him here," I said. My vision snapped back to normal and I watched as Jasper opened the passenger side door and swept the glass out. He turned immediately and pulled my crying mother in to sit down before he closed the door. He then turned to Edward and whispered something that I couldn't understand.

"Edward and Jasper will take care of them. They'll be leaving." I knew Carlisle meant it. Edward lifted my father up onto his feet, his eyes flashing in anger. Pushing him against the bumper, he leaned in.

"You listen to me," Edward said to him. "You and your wife leave. Don't you ever bother Bella again. She's happy here, and doesn't need to go back to Forks." Charlie opened his mouth to speak, but Edward cut him off.

"No, you shut your fucking mouth. You and your wife leave, but remember this Mr. Swan- I will be watching. I will make sure that you don't ever touch your wife again. And don't think I'm joking. If you ever lay a finger on her again, I will know. And I will _end you_. You've already lost your daughter. But you will then lose your wife, your job, your respectable status in your delusional community. I will _end you_. Do you fucking hear me?" Charlie was staring at him with wide eyes, but only seconds after Edward finished his speech, Charlie was nodding.

"Oh wow," I whispered. Charlie had agreed. Did this mean that my mother was safe? How would Edward know?

"How can Edward keep that promise?" I asked Carlisle. He sighed and stepped up next to me to watch as Edward pushed Charlie behind the wheel.

"We know a Ganduri clan in Washington. I'm sure he'll contact them and have them look in on your parents frequently." I smiled, an actual smile, in regards to my parents. My mother would be safe from Charlie. I just wish that I could have helped her before now.

The black SUV tore out of the parking lot, leaving Edward and Jasper standing there with their fists clenched. They watched until the car was out of sight before they turned and headed into the house. Edward walked in and rushed to my side, wrapping me into his arms.

"I can't believe that just happened," I said. He held me even closer and kissed my cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. I nodded, pulling back and looking at the three most important men in my life.

"Yes, thank you so much. I'm sorry I lost control, but thank you for sending them away."

"Don't worry about it, B." Jasper smiled at me and I felt a pang of guilt.

"No, thank you," I whispered. "You all stood up for me, just so that I could be happy. And… well, we all deserve the chance to be happy." I gave Jasper a pointed look and nodded. He rolled his eyes and glanced at Carlisle.

"Indeed," Carlisle said. I gave Jasper another look, which gave caused me to get another 'look'. A few seconds went by and Jasper shook his head.

"Carlisle, I need to talk to you," I said. Jasper grunted, which caused Edward to glance at him with an odd expression.

"You okay?" Carlisle asked me.

"Wait," Jasper jumped in. He gave me another look and I could tell that he wasn't happy about how this was brought up. He would thank me later.

"Jasper? Bella?" Carlisle looked confused, and I wanted to laugh at how confused Edward was.

_Sorry, it's Jasper's conversation, not mine,_ I told Edward. He nodded once and I glanced at Jasper.

"Carlisle, can I speak to you for a moment?" Jasper motioned for Carlisle to join him in the living room, and seconds later Edward and I were alone.

"I have to go check on the Rec Hall," he whispered to me. I nodded, reached up to run my fingers through his hair. It was at least two inches long at this point, and he needed another hair cut. But I couldn't bear to part with the long locks of hair that I loved to touch. Therefore, my lips remained sealed.

Edward bent down and pressed his lips to mine. I moaned and opened my lips slightly, running my tongue along his skin. He didn't disappoint, and his tongue was pressed against mine.

"You're going to get me in trouble," Edward whispered into my mouth. I didn't care, and pulled him back in for a deep kiss. But Edward smiled and pulled back.

"I love you, Bella. But I gotta go. You wait for Jasper and meet me in the Rec Hall when you're done. Your muffin awaits." I gave him one final kiss before he walked out of the door with a wave.

"Love you!" I called. He laughed, trotting down the steps and out of sight.

"Bella." The new voice caught me off guard, and I turned to see Alexander standing behind me.

"Oh! Alexander, I didn't know you were going to be here today!" He gave me a small smile, letting his eyes wander over my face. I stepped back without meaning to, and motioned towards the living room.

"Carlisle and Jasper are having a conversation. I was going to head down to the Rec Hall in a little bit." Alexander nodded, not moving his gaze from my face. I felt self conscious suddenly, and wished that I could move into the same room as the others. I didn't want to be alone with him.

"Happy birthday, Bella," he said softly. I tried to smile, I did. But I was sure that it came out as a grimace.

"Thanks. Um, I was just going to head in there with Jasper. Maybe Carlisle is still in there." I moved to step around him, but stopped when Alexander's hand wrapped around my bicep.

"What?" I looked up at Alexander and froze. His eyes weren't just black. They were empty and emotionless. A twinge of fear shot through me, and I opened my mouth to yell out for someone. But before I could take a breath, Alexander's right hand came up in the shape of a fist and connected with my jaw. I saw bright white light explode behind my eyelids and then there was nothing.

My final thought was of how close Carlisle and Jasper were to me. They would hear me. But there was nothing, and I slipped into the blackness.

* * *

**MWAHAHAHA! I'm so evil lol. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I really wanted to show the friendship between Jasper and Bella just a bit more, and I think I accomplished that just a bit. Don't forget to review!**

**Love, Ash**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello all! I know you've been waiting for the next chapter, and I am happy to say ta-da! I'm the dummy who couldn't wait for this story to be over before I started my new one. So, I've got two stories going on at the same time. My other story is 'Unsuspecting Afternoon'. It's a Jasper/Bella story, full of lemony goodness and sarcasm galore. Check it out, I'll be posting a new chapter of that tonight as well (I hope- I'm getting kind of tired lol).**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I am, however, planning my next tattoo- a small image of Edward Cullen on my ass. Really. No, really. (Do you believe me? No? *sigh* I didn't think so...)**

* * *

_Previously…_

_I looked up at Alexander and froze. His eyes weren't just black. They were empty and emotionless. A twinge of fear shot through me, and I opened my mouth to yell out for someone. But before I could take a breath, Alexander's right hand came up in the shape of a fist and connected with my jaw. I saw bright white light explode behind my eyelids and then there was nothing._

_My final thought was of how close Carlisle and Jasper were to me. They would hear me. But there was nothing, and I slipped into the blackness._

* * *

My head was pounding, a pulsing shooting through me every time I took a breath. I could feel that I wanted to open my eyes, but they felt so heavy, and the strength required to complete such an act proved to not exist at the moment. Instead, I tried to think around the headache and listen to my surroundings.

I tried to move my hands and found that I couldn't move them. My fingers wiggled slightly, but my wrists were immobile. That small fact sent panic through me, making me want to open my eyes even more. I tried to move my legs and found that they, too, were stationary. The one inch I was able to move them caused a shooting pain through me, like pins and needles.

What was going on?

Finally, I was able to move my eyelids up a fraction and take in some of my surroundings. I was in a lying position, this much I could tell right away. On a bed? On the floor? I concentrated and felt cloth beneath me, causing me to believe that I was on a bed of some sort. The room was pitch black, but I could see a small table in the far corner which held a tray of food. My eyes darted around the room and I was saddened to see that this was all there was to the room. Nothing at all to tell me where I was.

I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. I went to lick my lips, but found that I couldn't move my lips. My eyes shot open all the way this time, and through the excruciating pain I could feel the thick tape that covered my mouth. I forced my mind to go back to find out what happened to me, but I couldn't concentrate on anything.

Edward…

I remembered seeing Jasper and Carlisle walk into the living room. I remembered Edward walking to the Rec Hall and my parents being shoved back in their car to leave campus. I remembered Alexander.

Alexander.

I could feel a growl deep in my chest as I remembered Alexander speaking with me. I could see his black eyes as he stared at me like I was a fucking possession. And I remembered him hitting me before I could make sense of anything- before I could alert Carlisle and Jasper of anything. Did they not hear us? Was Alexander really able to get away from them with me as is prisoner? Better question- what the _hell_ was Alexander doing, _thinking_, when he acted the way he did?

My mind raced and caused my head to hurt even worse. I had to get out of here. I closed my eyes and concentrated on whatever was holding my wrists together. I had a feeling it was the same type of tape that held my mouth shut. I tried to push out any type of energy so I could remove it, but nothing happened, no matter how hard I tried. I looked ahead of me and watched as the table holding the tray tipped slightly to the side. I would gain absolutely nothing by knocking it over, but it might alert Alexander to my being awake. Maybe I would be able to get some answers.

I pushed my energy out again, feeling it waver under my weakness, watching with satisfaction as it tipped over the rest of the way and sending its contents flying to the ground. The tray and plate crashed followed by the clanking sound of silverware. I froze and listened as footsteps started running towards the doorway.

_Edward!_ I screamed in my head. Edward had to hear me. He had to help me get the hell out of here. The door crashed open, and I felt my heart spike at the sight of Alexander. He looked down at the mess I had made and then trained his black eyes on me.

_What the hell are you doing?_ I screamed into his mind. He let out a growl and took a step towards me. I concentrated on my heart rate and forced it to rise, sending my adrenaline soaring. My vision snapped and I pushed as much energy as I could outwards, forcing it to fly into Alexander. With a grunt he went flying, crashing into the edge of the door, cracking the piece of wood in two.

"You stupid bitch!" Alexander spit out. My eyes widened in horror as he struggled to get to his feet, and came at me again. My energy was not long lasting, and I already felt it fade. My vision snapped back and I whimpered when my next burst of energy didn't do nearly what I wanted it to. It only hit him slightly, faltering in his steps for a few seconds. When Alexander reached me, he reached down and fisted his hand in my hair. Pain shot through my scalp and I screamed behind my tape gag.

"No one will hear you," Alex whispered. I opened my eyes, blinking my tears away.

_Where are we? Why are you doing this? What do you want?_ I fired the questions at him so fast I wondered if he would be able to understand my jumble of words.

"We aren't going to worry about any of that right this moment, Isabella." I wanted to gag at the way his voice caressed my name, but I bit down on my tongue, forcing anything back. Where was Edward? How far away from the school were we?

_What do you want from me? I thought you were family._ Alexander let go of me and stepped back, and I relished in the relief I felt. My scalp was searing in pain, but I wanted the man as far as back from me as I could get him.

"We're far enough away from the others to where we won't be bothered. And we _are_ family, Isabella. We're going to be so close that you won't see me as anything else." What? What the hell did he mean by that?

_Where is Edward?_ I asked pointlessly. Alexander growled at my question and kicked at the tray that lay on the floor.

"Gone. Don't you worry about him." And with that, Alexander stormed out of the small room, not bothering with the broken door. It lay open, barely hanging on its hinges, while Alexander's footsteps faded in the distance. Tears pricked my eyes again, sending me into another round of panic. I felt so lost, and I didn't know what was going on. I closed my eyes and thought back over the past few months. Yes, Alexander had changed, but had it necessarily been for the bad?

_Yes,_ my internal voice told me, _it was for the worse._ Alexander had been changing before my very eyes and I completely ignored it. I thought he was just adjusting. We all knew that he had been affected by everything, but I knew that we hadn't pressed enough. We hadn't dug far enough into him to gauge his actual reaction to how Edward and I were changed. What caused Alexander's behavior? Was the change what caused him to take me from the others?

I had no idea. But right now, I was alone, and apparently too far for anyone to hear me. Tears flowed freely, and I closed my eyes to regain my strength. I would need it to fight Alexander.

* * *

**Edward's Point of View**

I felt a twinge of _something_ as I made my way to the Rec Hall. I couldn't place my finger on it, so I kept going. The stupid grin on my face barely faltered as I walked through those doors and looked over the students. All I could really think about was that Bella was eighteen today and we wouldn't have to hide our relationship anymore. After months of hiding kisses and stealing touches in class that were hardly romantic, we would be able to show each other just how we felt out in the open.

I could barely contain my excitement. After all, I had finally found the person I was to spend the rest of my life with. Well, actually, spend forever with. That still baffled me at times, but I learned a few years ago to just go with the punches and accept things for what they were. And now that I had Bella by my side, I was more willing to accept these things.

I made my way to the far wall so I could stand back and watch the students mingle. My eyes automatically made their way to the table Bella usually ate at and I smiled when I saw Alice staring at me. She smiled back, but I could see that it didn't reach its way to her eyes.

_Everything okay?_ I asked her silently. Again, I loved my new abilities. Alice shook her head once and then stopped. I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but then she shrugged. I didn't understand.

_Problems with you and Jasper?_ She shook her head. I sighed; was this going to be a guessing game between us? I glanced around and my eyes landed on the bulletin board.

_Meet me by the bulletin board_. I didn't wait for her response, and made my way over. Staring blankly at the announcement for the next camping trip, I felt that twinge of emotion within my chest. I couldn't pinpoint which emotion it was exactly, which caused my mind to reel.

"Something's off," Alice whispered next to me. I glanced at her and saw that her eyebrows were scrunched together in confusion.

_What exactly is off? Try to be more specific._ Alice sighed and pretended to read a flyer.

"I don't know. There's a feeling deep in my stomach that I can't identify. Like something is about to happen." My head swiveled towards her and my eyes widened slightly.

"I feel something, too. I can't explain it, but it's a feeling. Do you think it's the same thing?" I didn't even bother to speak to her silently. If we were both having an odd feeling, I didn't think it was a coincidence. Alice's eyes got the glazed over look it usually did when she tried to search for something, and I remained patient by her side. I still didn't understand her little gift; none of us did really. Alice just knew things, things that were going to happen, or perhaps _why _something was happening. We didn't question it because she had helped us on more than one occasion.

"Where's Bella?" Alice suddenly asked. My eyes darted around the room within a second and I made note that neither she nor Jasper were here yet.

"Probably still in the main house with Jasper and Carlisle. Why, what's wrong?" Alice didn't answer me, but looked towards the main door.

"I don't know…" she whispered. The feeling that had spiked within my chest hit me full force, and I grabbed hold of her upper arm. She turned to me, and with one look in her eyes I felt like I was falling.

"Alice, what is it? Tell me!" A few people turned to look at us, but immediately looked back to their food and friends. Being accused of manhandling a student was the least of my worries at the moment, so I ignored them all. Instead, I concentrated on Alice and tried to read what her eyes were shouting at me.

Bella was in trouble.

I let go of her arm and headed towards the door, sidestepping a dozen people on my way to freedom. Being inside suddenly had me feeling like I was suffocating, and I needed to be out in the open air. Just the thought of Bella being in trouble… I shook my head of the thought and slammed through the double doors. The sunlight hit my face and I let out a dry sob. Yes, the feeling deep in my chest was indeed Bella's doing.

I turned towards the main house and started to run. Several students who had been straggling that morning on their way to breakfast stopped and watched me pass by. I couldn't give them a second thought as I tore across campus, my legs pumping furiously beneath me. I could hear someone running after me, and I knew without looking that it was Alice. Once I hit the steps of Carlisle's house, I burst through the doors and stood in the doorway, breathing hard. I saw nothing as my eyes darted around the house, and within seconds Jasper and Carlisle walked into the room, their eyes questioning.

"Edward? What's wrong?" Carlisle's question seemed innocent enough, but when Alice burst into the house behind me, both he and Jasper's looks turned lethal and defensive.

"Where's Bella?" I demanded. Jasper's eyes darted around the room just as mine had and when he came up with the same result, he turned back to me.

"What's going on?" Carlisle demanded. Alice took a step forward and looked up at me with worry in her eyes.

"Something has happened. We don't know what, but I can feel something is wrong." Carlisle ushered us further into the living room and closed the door that we had come through- there was no reason that anyone outside of the clan should need to hear what we were discussing.

"Where's Bella?" I demanded again.

"She was here when you left," Jasper said, looking around again. This time, though, his eyes narrowed in anger at the carpet. I followed his gaze and my heart stopped. There on the floor between me and Jasper, was a drop of blood.

A roar ripped from my chest and I felt hot anger pulsate through me. Without a warning, my entire body burst into a fire-filled anger, and I could feel my wings cut through my skin and through my clothing. I felt my nails sharpen and elongate into talons, and my eyes felt warm. I had transformed within seconds, and the others stared at me in horror.

_Bella!_ I screamed in my head. If she was nearby, she would hear me, and she would respond. But everything was silent. I felt dread fill me, and I turned to Carlisle for reassurance.

"Carlisle, where's Alexander?" I had to ask that question. Bella and I had spoken numerous times about the concerns about Alexander. About his mood change, about how quiet he was around both her and I, and even about the way he looked at us. Hell, just the way he looked at Bella made me want to send him into a world of pain. But he was family- I wouldn't do anything if not warranted. But now, as I stared at that spot of blood, and while I wondered where Bella had disappeared to, my mind immediately went to Alexander.

"I don't know," Carlisle said as calmly as he could, "but I'm sure we'll be able to get a hold of him quickly. I need you to calm down, Edward, and step into the other room, or change back. I don't need anyone to come in and see you like this." I knew he was right- me in full transformation would definitely cause some alarm if anyone saw me. I took a deep breath and forced my heartbeat to slow. It took much longer than the transformation had, but eventually I felt my wings recede and my talons to shrink back to normal.

"Thank you," Carlisle said. I nodded and stared at him expectantly. He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and pressed a few buttons before putting it up to his ear. I could hear the ringing tone as he called who I assume to be Alexander. But after eight rings, it went to voicemail. My eyes darted to Carlisle's and I saw what I didn't want to see- alarm.

"He always answers," he whispered. He pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed a few more buttons. The ringing began again, and went to voicemail after the same amount of rings.

"What does that mean?" Alice asked quietly. Carlisle turned to her and opened his mouth to speak, but Jasper took over.

"It means we trusted Alexander a little too much." Five seconds passed in complete silence and then all hell broke loose. Carlisle headed for the staircase while pressing more buttons on his cell phone. He was speaking to someone by the time he reached the top of the staircase, so I knew he had called someone besides Alexander. Jasper was speaking to Alice quietly, but the second I concentrated on them, I could hear him.

"Alice, I need you to try and concentrate for me. Do you see anything? Sense anything at all?" Yes, this is what we needed. I stepped behind Jasper and watched as Alice closed her eyes in concentration. Silent seconds ticked by as I waited for _something_. My Bella was in trouble, and I had to rely on someone else to tell me how to get to her. How the hell did this happen? How did I even let her out of my sight for one fucking second, on her birthday of all days, and end up having to depend on others for her well being. _I _was her better half. _I_ was the person who was chosen to spend eternity with her, why was I suddenly useless in finding her? My world was crumbling around me, and I felt so alone. Bella, sweet Bella. She had put me together when I didn't know I was broken. She joined me in this world when she knew the consequences. And here I stood, powerless against a man who I now wished I could tear limb from limb.

"Edward." Alice's voice pulled me out of my self loathing, and I looked at her in hope. "It's up to you."

"Huh?" Both Jasper and I said. Alice nodded and moved towards me quickly, reached up to tap me on my temple.

"It's up to you to find Bella. He's taken her, but it's up to you to find out where. Carlisle is calling someone he knows who can track people, but I'm not sure how much he can help. But you… you'll be able to find her."

"Cryptic much?" Jasper said quietly. I shook my head and stepped back. How on earth did she expect me to find her? But then again, I knew the answer before I finished questioning myself on my abilities. I was her partner, I could sense her. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"Are you sure?" I asked Alice without looking at her.

"Absolutely." I could hear the smile in her voice as her and Jasper waited. So much trust in me, but I could feel the fear rise. Pushing it down, I focused on Bella. I focused on her hair, picturing it as it flew in the breeze. I saw her golden eyes as they looked at me with trust. _Edward_.

My eyes flew open in shock, and I looked at Jasper.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. Jasper shook his head, but Alice grinned.

"You can hear her?" I nodded uncertainly.

"I think so," I whispered. "She said my name." Alice motioned for me to continue, so I closed my eyes again and thought of Bella. I pushed all the energy I could into my thoughts, and gasped when I saw an image of Bella lying on a cot. I didn't open my eyes this time, afraid that I would lose the image. She looked furious, staring at the wall. But what infuriated _me_ was the fact that she had black tape covering her mouth. Her arms and legs were behind her, and I assumed them to be bound with the same material. The room was bare except for a mess on the floor, but I could see a window above the bed about the size of a two by four.

"I see her. Carlisle!" I screamed. I could hear footsteps overhead as Carlisle rushed back down the hallway and to the stairs.

"What's going on?" I heard him charge into the room. I could hear Jasper turn to him, but Alice hadn't moved.

"Edward can sense Bella," Jasper explained. Carlisle gasped and I felt him rush towards me.

"Edward, what do you see?" he asked somewhat calmly. I shook my head and concentrated.

"I can only see her on a bed of some sort. She's bound and gagged…" It was hard for me to continue as the bile rose in my throat. I swallowed it down and continued. "I can't see exactly where she is." I opened my eyes, finally letting the image disappear. _Bella, I'm coming for you_, I shouted in my mind.

"She'll be fine," Carlisle said with confidence. I appreciated his positive outlook on this, more than I was willing to say aloud. "I've called Morris." Jasper's head turned so fast that I was surprised it was still attached to his body.

"Seriously?" I glanced between the two and waited for an explanation. When Carlisle only nodded and sighed, I felt a growl erupt from my chest.

"What the _fuck!_" I screamed. No one jumped, but looked at me as if they expected this of me. "I don't need this silent conversation shit going on! Who the fuck is Morris, and why the hell are you calling him?" I could see Jasper pull Alice away from me a few inches, and I scoffed. Did he really think that I was going to hurt her?

"Morris is a friend of mine from when I lived in Italy." That was all Carlisle really needed to say to me, and I understood. In the sixteen hundreds, Carlisle lived in Europe, traveling with various clans. He met a lot of different people, not all of them nice, which is what lead him to want to help people. The few stories I had heard from him gave me the impression that that particular time of his life was off limits. Only Carlisle was to bring it up and that almost never happened; only when he felt like the moment required it. What I could gather from this was that if Carlisle was contacting someone from that period of his life, he needed the help.

"How is this Morris going to help us find Bella and Alexander?" I asked as calmly as I could. The monster within me was still alive with anger and fear, threatening to rip me apart at the seams. I wanted to cry, I wanted to fight, I wanted answers.

"Morris is a tracker," Carlisle said carefully. "He and I met in the summer of 1692, which began the most horrible six months of my life." I opened my mouth to ask _how_ it was such a horrible time, but I caught the look in Jasper's eye. He was telling me to stop.

_I don't have time to coddle him,_ I roared into Jasper's head. _I need answers, and I want to know how the hell we're going to find her!_ Jasper only glared at me and shook his head minutely. I took a deep breath and looked back at Carlisle.

"Morris isn't a regular tracker. He's able to find someone just by being in an area they once were. When he gets here, I gather that he will be able to sense Alexander or Bella. Once he gets their sense, he can get into their mind. It's a game to him, which isn't always a good kind of game."

"That's vague. What does that even mean?" I had to ask. Did this mean he would hurt Bella?

"People hire Morris to find criminals. To find murderers and… well, people they want dead." My mouth opened in shock at Carlisle's calm words. Carlisle's mouth opened like mine as if he were going to continue, but I could hear him choke on his words. I could sense the sympathy that Jasper pushed out to Carlisle and he turned to me to take over explanation.

"Morris gets a thrill out of killing people, and uses the thrill as a payment. But, he'll only kill the people who have wronged. And the only way he will let anyone use his services is if he gets to kill someone in return."

"So you…" Carlisle nodded, tears in his eyes.

"Yes. I've known Alexander was unstable, but I didn't think he was capable of actually taking Bella. In order for us to get her back before Alexander does any damage, we need someone who can find them quickly. So I called Morris- which in turn sentenced Alexander's death."

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

I lay on that horrible cot for God knows how long, my stomach growling in protest. Alexander hadn't come back after my 'attack' on him, and now I just lay there, counting the seconds as they turned into minutes.

_Bella, I'm coming for you!_ I jumped at Edward's voice as it echoed through my head. Tears of joy sprang to my eyes and I sobbed in relief. He was coming, Edward was coming. He knew who took me; Alexander wouldn't get away with this. I looked around the dismal room again and tried to move around so I could see outside of the door and into the hallway. Alexander had been silent for so long, I wondered if he was even in the vicinity.

Pulling against my restraints, I began to make more noise. I needed him to come to me so he would take me out of the room. If I got anywhere else, I might be able to find out where I was. Maybe I'd be able to send Edward some kind of clue as to where I was.

Alexander didn't disappoint, and his footsteps soon sounded as they approached me. He walked into the room, carrying a wooden chair. Setting it a few feet away from the bed, he sat down wordlessly. His black eyes examined me with the same look he'd had for months; like he was examining a prize.

_What do you want from me?_ I had to be calm. If I wanted to get out of here and see Edward again, I had to remain as calm as possible.

"Eternity." The one word coming from his lips made my blood run cold. "You will live beyond the thousand year limit that has been assigned to every Ganduri. And now, so will your mate." Like someone was turning a wheel, the gears began to click together, and all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He didn't need to explain any further, I understood.

_Go fuck yourself,_ I said calmly into his mind. He shook his head, his eyes lifeless.

"No, no Bella. Attitude like that won't do." He stood up and approached the bed, running his hand along my thigh. I cringed under his touch and tried to back away, but Alexander's grip tightened. He was looking at me like a piece of meat, and I screamed out for Edward in my mind. The facts surrounding me pulsated through my mind, fighting for dominance along side of my headache. Alexander was going to try and change my mind when it came to who my life mate was. He wanted it to be him, so that he would be able to live forever.

"No, that attitude won't do."

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**PLEASE REVIEW! I'm not too proud to beg, believe me. I love getting reviews, absolutely love it. I have weird work hours this week, so I am very hopeful that I will be updating the next chapter sometime within the next few days ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello all! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week- I have been sick the entire time LOL, and took advantage of being snowed-in on Thursday to rest and try and get better. I'm not a hundred percent, but I'm better regardless.**

**A/N: This chapter has adult themes- not lemons, but adult scenarios nonetheless. Please do not read if you are not mature enough to handle scenes that include suggestion of rape (What I wrote is not that bad, but I don't want to find out a thirteen year old read the chapter and ran to their mommies and daddies asking what rape was, ya know? Suck it up! Don't be a sissy lala!)**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own like a million new mp3s. I've gone on a kick where I've been downloading every song that could remotely seem good. Is there a support group for this kind of stuff? ;)**

* * *

I had somehow managed to turn over on the bed, and I was able to lie on my back. After a short period of time my arms and shoulders became numb. But I continued to lay there for hours, welcoming the pain it brought.

I felt surprisingly empty as I stared at the ceiling. I wanted to cry at the absence of Edward's touch. I wanted to cry that I couldn't be calmed by Jasper. I wanted to cry for Carlisle and the fact that one of his oldest friends had betrayed us. I wanted to cry for Alice, and the fact that she would be so upset my birthday outfit was ruined.

But there were no tears. I felt empty.

The emptiness had taken over the second Alexander had touched me...

"_Bella, you will listen to me," Alexander said to me as his hand continued to caress my thigh. I tried as hard as possible to jerk my body away from him, but his grip on me only tightened. I wasn't sure what he would do, but my mind wiped of all coherent thoughts. It was a cluster fuck of panic and horror as his hand started to travel upwards, brushing over my center just once._

"_You have given Edward such a future," he continued, whispering unnecessarily. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his hand not moving from its grip on my upper thigh. "And the only thing I can pull from this is that when you gave yourself to him, when you_ fucked_ him, you transferred your little gift over to him. So, I ask myself, why him? Why not me? Why can't it be me?" He was crazy. Tears flooded my eyes and I tried to concentrate, to clear my mind._

Fucking someone_, I said to him silently, _does not connect you to them. Love, respect, companionship. That's what connects people. You will never experience what Edward and I have. Never.

_Alexander just looked at me and smiled. I thrashed under his touch, trying so hard to get away from him. But his grip only tightened. _

"_You think so, Bella? Is that what you really think?" I could see something in his eyes, a spark that seemed to have been ignited. My heart seized in my chest as Alexander shifted and stood. His hand lifted off of me, the spot he had touched now burned. I breathed a sigh of relief that he was leaving. But very quickly he removed his jacket and turned back to me. No, no, no! Alexander then lowered himself completely on top of me, pressing every inch of himself on me._

NO! _I screamed into his head. I could see Alexander flinch from the sound of my mental anguish, but it didn't seem to deter him from his plan. He pressed his hips forward, and I gagged at the feel of something hard press into me. No, this couldn't be happening! His hands delved into my hair and he lowered his face to mine, placing chaste kissed along my skin._

_An image passed through my mind just then, and the tears that had threatened to flow from my eyes cascaded over the edges. Edward, eyes glowing as he told me to fight. _

_My eyes flew open, and I turned my head so suddenly that Alexander leaned back, his black eyes full of some emotion that I had never seen on him. He stopped pressing himself into me as he froze, caught off guard by my sudden movement. I felt the anger build up inside of me, and in the reflection of Alexander's dark eyes, I could see my eyes start to glow._

I said NO! _I screamed at him, and I pushed all of my energy out. Alexander literally flew off of me, through the air, and into the wall across from me. I sat up just in time to see the drywall cracked inwards and sent plaster flying. _

"_You bitch!" he screamed at me. I pushed another wave of energy out and lifted him off of the ground, sending him through the already broken door._

If you come in here again,_ I said to him with menace in every one of my silent words, _I will kill you. I will tear your head off of your neck so slowly, that you will feel every piece of skin and every thread of muscle separate from your body.

_Alexander's face paled as he looked up from his position on the hallway floor. He lay there for a full minute as he gawked at me. Did he realize that there was no hope? Did he accept what I was saying? But even from his spot there on the floor, I could still see my reflection in those black pools. I looked frightening. Every inch of my skin was glowing, and my eyes were shooting daggers. He had no idea if I was capable of doing what I threatened to do, but I could tell he didn't want to find out. _

_Finally, he stood and disappeared from my view. I waited a full thirty seconds before I let out a shaky breath and let the anger dissipate. The heat that came with the 'glow' disappeared, and I could feel all of my emotions leave with it. I fell back on the bed and let the tears take over. Slowly, but surely, emptiness took over. I felt nothing._

So now I lay there, staring at the ceiling, occasionally letting my eyes wander to the dent in the drywall that Alexander had made. My mind was screaming for Edward, begging that he save me. I felt weak, pointless. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to break my restraints. The tape would not tear off, and no amount of energy would push it off. I didn't understand. What kind of Ganduri was I if I couldn't get a stupid piece of tape off of me? How could I even let Alexander take me? I should have been able to stop him.

_No… he caught you off guard. You trusted him._

No, I didn't trust him. For months something had felt off. I failed. I did this. I put myself in this position.

I closed my eyes and let one tiny emotion seep through.

Sadness.

* * *

**Edward's POV**

I felt numb. I sat on the couch, my arms hanging limp at my sides as Jasper and Carlisle paced the floor in front of me. I wanted to stand and pace with them, but my legs wouldn't move, wouldn't let me stand from my spot on that ugly red piece of furniture. So I sat there, right next to Alice, who was staring off into space as if she were bored.

Morris was on his way, and according to Carlisle he should be at the school in less than an hour. I knew all I had to do was wait for this man to get here, and he would find Alexander with no problem. But I had this nagging feeling in my chest that told me that we shouldn't be waiting for this one man before we started looking for them.

"Alice?" I looked up and saw that Jasper had stopped pacing and was staring at Alice with a look of curiosity. I turned to my left, expecting her to be staring at the ceiling just as she had been for the past hour and a half, but was surprised to see that she was looking at me in horror.

"What?" I asked quietly. Alice's face was pale, her eyes darkening to almost black. Her tiny frame was shaking, her mouth agape in shock.

"What did you see?" Jasper asked her quietly. I looked at him for only a second before I turned back to Alice. See? She saw something? The look on her face… shock… horror… I jumped and turned quickly, my hands darting out to grab her upper arms. I didn't grab her roughly, but hard enough to where she jerked towards me. I could see Jasper's stature change into one of protectiveness, but I shot him a look.

"You saw something?" I asked her carefully. Alice's eyes widened just a fraction as she nodded once. My heart sank deep within my chest. Her look was not one of happiness, so I knew it was bad.

"Bella?" I whispered. Carlisle came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder to soothe me. I wanted to push his hand off, but couldn't seem to tear my attention from Alice. She never answered me, and my panic grew.

"Please," I begged, a tear flowing down my cheek, "please tell me she's okay." Again, Alice didn't answer. Fuck this. I pushed out a wave of energy to her, listening as she gasped. I didn't know what I was doing, but I had to get into her head to see what she saw. Carlisle's grip tightened on my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. I pushed the wave into Alice again, stopping only when I felt her energy within me.

_Don't be scared,_ I told her. She nodded once.

_I don't want you to see what I saw, _she responded. I appreciated her need to keep me safe, but I had to. Bella… I needed her back, no matter what. I closed my eyes and concentrated, settling my energy wave around Alice's thoughts. Easier than I thought, I was able to see into her mind. Any other day, I would be amazed at this, but I had to work quickly- I could already feel myself tiring.

I pushed aside thoughts of her and Jasper, visions I could easily have gone the rest of my existence not seeing. I saw images of Alice and Bella sitting in their dorm room talking, images of Alice's life before Silver Bay, and then finally I landed on an image of Bella, bound and gagged in the same room I had seen her in.

I heard the gasp leave my lips as I saw Alexander standing above her, telling her that they would be together. He removed his jacket and lowered his body down on Bella's. I could hear a loud roar echo through my mind, and I wasn't sure if it was from me or from the vision. I watched as Bella cringed, writhing beneath his touch. That _animal_ pressed himself into her while she closed her eyes, tears flowing. A look of pleasure appeared on Alexander's face, as if he enjoyed what he was doing to my Bella.

I wanted to rip his dick off.

Suddenly Alexander went flying back and hit the wall. Bella was glowing, staring him down with such ferocity that I wanted to smile. A piece of tape covered her mouth, but I could only imagine that she was saying something to him silently. When Alex stood, she sent him flying out of the room.

The image disappeared, and I opened my eyes to look at Alice. Jasper was behind her, his arms surrounding her waist as if he were protecting her. His eyes were on me, curious and guarded all the same.

That sick _fuck_ put himself on my Bella. He touched her, pressed his… his… _himself_ into her. He _forced himself on her_. I felt sick.

"He touched her," I whispered. Alice's sob cut into me and I cringed. I didn't want to believe it; after all this time Alexander had betrayed all of us and turned out to be a monster.

I opened my mouth to say something else, but I felt Alice's energy push towards me. I looked back at her and saw her eyes beg with me. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but was silenced by the new image that flashed before my eyes.

I was standing at the top of the hill right outside this very house, flanked by Bella, Jasper and Carlisle. All of us had our wings extended, eyes glowing. We were all looking down the hill towards the lake, all of us smiling. Just then a small figure came into the picture and hugged Jasper tightly. _Alice._ And then, to my astonishment, her nails began to grow, her eyes became alive with light, and light brown wings extended from her back.

"Oh my God," I whispered. I opened my eyes and saw Alice crying in front of me. Not necessarily tears of sadness. She seemed almost… happy?

"How?" I asked. She shook her head, wiping her face free of the tears.

"I don't know."

"What's going on?" Jasper asked. I shook my head and pulled back from Alice, breaking the connection we had. I stood quickly, backing away from the group.

"Alice," I whispered. She stood as well and stepped closer to me. Carlisle was looking between the two of us as if watching a tennis match.

"Bella was the prophecy, yes," she said. I wondered only for a second why she would say that, but I suppose it was one of my unasked questions. "She was the _first_ female Ganduri." And with that, Alice burst into another round of tears, a grin on her face. Not only because of what was to come for her and Jasper, but for the fact that Bella was standing with us in the image.

"First female?" Carlisle asked. Jasper gasped and looked at all of us. His eyes finally landed on Carlisle with a smile.

"So it's possible? It can be done!" Carlisle continued to look between Alice and me, looking for an answer. I nodded, knowing exactly what I had seen.

"Yes?" Carlisle said the answer like a question. Jasper grabbed Alice and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair, "I love you so much. You'll never be without me," I smiled at their display of affection, but the happiness I felt for them diminished almost immediately.

_Bella_.

"I'm sorry," Alice said. My eyes darted to her and I took a step back. Raising a hand, I shook my head.

"No, I'm happy for you, really." Jasper looked at me with a pained expression, and I knew he felt horrible for his happiness in all of this. But… I had to think of the happy ending in all of this. Bella was with me in that image from Alice's mind. She would be found.

"She'll be fine," I said. Just then a door opened from behind me, causing me to tense and turn in defense. I growl erupted from my chest before I could stop it, and I crouched down in a fighting position. Standing before me was a man I had never seen before. My mind flew with possibilities, but I knew who it had to be Morris.

"Dear friend," Carlisle greeted him, stepping forward to give the man a hug and pat on the back. I stood quickly, giving up on my attack posture immediately. This man was going to help us get my Bella back. He was not my enemy.

Morris was about my height, with deep green eyes cutting into me. He was muscular, more than Jasper and I combined, and he had a posture of a man in the military. He wore normal clothes, blue jeans and a white sweater, and was clean shaven. He looked so normal.

_Normal for a man who killed people for a living?_

I dismissed the internal question and stepped forward with my hand out.

"Morris, it's great to meet you. My name is Edward." Morris shook my head and nodded at me.

"I'm surprised to be here," Morris spoke. His voice was deep, but gentle. "Carlisle knows of my conditions. And for him to _ask _me to come, well I was surprised." Carlisle nodded and grimaced.

"Normally I wouldn't ask you for your… services, Morris. But under the circumstances we have no choice." Our guest nodded and followed Carlisle as he walked back towards the couch. Carlisle gave Morris a quick explanation as to who we needed found and why. Morris' eyes widened considerably when Carlisle informed him of the prophecy coming true.

"Are you sure?" he asked. We all nodded, and Carlisle explained to him how she had already gone through the entire transformation.

And then he explained me.

Morris had a look flash through his eyes worthy of comparison to Alexander's, but I was relieved to see that it lasted only a second before it disappeared all together.

"So he thinks that if he gets Isabella to be with him, he will be the one to share eternity with her?" Carlisle nodded, glancing at me.

"Yes, this seems to be the delusion he is under. I'm certain that it doesn't work that way. Edward is her true partner, not just someone she slept with one time." I cleared my throat and spoke.

"He's already forced himself upon her," I said softly, trying hard not to let my anger control me. Jasper and Carlisle gasped at my admission, but Alice just looked pained. "Bella was able to get him off of her before he did anything, but he won't stop trying."

"How do you know this?" Morris asked curiously. I made sure I didn't look at Alice as I answered.

"You have your ability, Morris. I am in contact with someone who has an ability as well." Morris didn't question me, but stood instead.

"Wait," I said with realization. "Alexander has the ability to sense when things are coming. How are we going to surprise him?" Morris smiled and glanced at Carlisle.

"A part of my gift is that the person I am tracking has no way to know I am coming. Unless someone physically tells him that I am looking for him, he will not know what we are doing." I breathed a sigh of relief, pushing the worry aside.

"Then we must begin now. He was here, yes?" Morris made the gesture around the room, and I nodded.

"Yes, we believe he and Bella were last here, and this is where he took her." Morris looked around the room carefully and took a deep breath. I took a step back and watched as he continued to take deep breaths. His eyes were closed and he tilted his head towards the ceiling. I looked over to Carlisle, ready to question what his friend was doing, but saw that Carlisle was looking back at me. He shook his head side to side just once and then turned back to Morris. I took that as my cue to stay quiet.

Minutes passed as Morris took breaths that seemed on the borderline of hyperventilating. And right as I was about to burst out of my skin with anxiety, he opened his eyes and looked right at me.

"Let's go," he said calmly. My eyes widened and I stood straighter than before. Was it really that easy for him? I nodded, eager to begin the chase. Morris closed his eyes again, and I noticed that his fingernails began to darken. He was transforming. Carlisle followed, and I turned to Jasper.

"Alice has to go back to her dorm," I said quickly. Jasper nodded and spoke to her quickly. I pushed my energy out and felt my wings break through my skin faster than I had ever felt before. When I looked back at Jasper and Alice, I could see my reflection in Alice's eyes. She was in awe at my complete transformation, something she probably wouldn't get over anytime soon. After all, she'd only seen us all like that a couple of times.

Jasper pushed Alice towards the door and nodded once she touched the doorknob.

"Good luck," she said tearfully. "And tell Bella I'll see her when she gets back." I nodded at her and watched her disappear from view. I turned back and saw that Jasper was already turned. The four of us stood, stretching our limbs. I knew without conversation that we would be flying to wherever Alexander was. My heart was beating rapidly within my chest. We were going for Bella. Part of me felt inadequate that I was not able to find her without the help of someone else, but I had to push that aside. Whatever it took to get her back, and to get rid of the existence of Alexander, I would do.

Morris moved towards the door he had come through at a great speed, and before I knew it, we were all following after. I pushed myself into the air, moving quickly to follow Morris. I knew anyone on the ground wouldn't be able to see us, we were moving so fast. If by chance they saw _anything_, by the time they took a second glance, we would be gone.

The air whipped by my face, giving me a fresh wave of energy. As tired as I felt, and as much as I wanted to go home and sleep away all my misery, I knew I had to find Bella first.

We had been flying south for close to an hour when Morris began his descent. We all dropped to the ground, hiding ourselves within a forest of pine trees.

"Where are we?" Jasper whispered. Morris looked around and nodded.

"Near Minneapolis." I looked around, surprised that we had traveled this far. "We have to keep very quiet." I nodded and glanced at Carlisle. He seemed to know what I was thinking- we all had to be close to silent, or Alexander would hear us. So I did the only thing I knew I could do to help. Looking at Morris, I spoke to him silently.

_I also have a gift, one of several, _I said quietly. Morris looked around quickly and I raised my hand, letting him know it was me who said that. _I'm going to connect the four of us so that we can speak to each other without speaking, okay?_ Morris looked absolutely bewildered, but nodded after a moment. I closed my eyes only for a second so I could collect myself, and with a slight push, I moved my energy outwards until I felt the other three men inside. Once I felt secure that it was just the three of them connected to me, I relaxed. The energy shield lay snug around us, no way to penetrate it.

_Unbelievable,_ I heard Morris say in his head.

_Yes, it is, isn't it?_ Carlisle seemed amused.

_It's best this way,_ I explained to them, _this way we can communicate without Alexander knowing we're here. _They all nodded and Morris turned to head west. We followed him through the brush, pushing aside branches as we moved. Only a few minutes went by when Morris stopped and took a deep breath.

_Here._ I looked around and didn't see anything. Taking a step forward, I placed my hand on Morris' shoulder.

_Here? Where? _Morris pointed ahead and I glared through the trees. Even with my great vision, it was hard to see the single level house that lay deep in the woods.

_They're here?_ I asked. Jasper was the one who nodded.

_I can feel Bella, she's sad._ Tears pricked my eyes, and I pushed them back. I couldn't break down now. We were so close. Morris waved his hand forward and took a step.

_What bout Alexander?_ Carlisle asked. Morris stopped and took another deep breath. I watched as he turned to the right and pointed. His ability was amazing.

_He is in the front of the house, pacing. If you go through the back bedroom, you will be able to get to Isabella that way. I will go through the front._ Morris seemed certain, so I nodded.

_Do you need help?_ Carlisle asked. Morris looked at his friend and smiled.

_Do you want to help?_ Carlisle winced and seemed to contemplate the answers to the question. Carlisle was not a man of violence, but the fact that his family was torn apart because of this situation, who knew what he would choose?

_If you need help, don't be afraid to shout,_ Carlisle ended up saying. I smiled at his way out of the situation. Morris motioned for us to move towards the back of the house as he moved towards the front. No one made a sound, and I knew for a fact that Alexander wouldn't be able to hear us. The closer we got to the house, the more I was able to hear. I could hear someone towards the front of the house, their heavy footsteps prominent through the air. I figured that was Alexander, so I motioned for Jasper and Carlisle to move with me towards the back windows. I glanced at Morris once more, making sure I could still feel his energy in my shield.

Jasper stepped forward when we reached the large paned window. He wielded what looked to be a hunting knife, and went to work on the window. After only a few scraping sounds, the window lock popped open and he was able to lift the window up. There were only sheer white curtains covering the window, and Jasper pushed them aside as he climbed through the small square. I climbed in next, followed by Carlisle. We were all silent, barely breathing as we looked around the dim room.

There was only a single bed pressed into the far corner, no blanket covering the lumpy mattress. The walls were pale blue, paint peeling from age and weathering.

_Morris, can you see Alexander? _I called out. No one moved as we waited for the answer.

_Yes,_ he said after a few seconds. _He is in the front foyer, looking rather pissed off. He looks distracted, so now might be your chance to get your girl. Are you in the house?_ I smiled; if Morris hadn't heard us remove the window, than neither did Alexander.

_Yes, we're in the back room. We're moving in now._ Jasper led the way once again and we hesitantly moved out of the room and into the hall. I was holding my breath, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. Jasper glanced at us and nodded.

_I can hear her heart in the next room over. We have to warn her that we're here so that Alexander won't hear a sudden change in her heart beat or anything. Edward, you should say something to her and tell her to stay calm._ I agreed with Jasper and took a quiet breath.

_Bella, it's Edward. I need you to stay calm._ I could hear a quick intake of breath through her nose and Alexander's pause in pacing. And then, right out of a nightmare, the footsteps made a new path, but this time back towards the hall.

_Back into the room!_ Carlisle's order was quick, and the three of us backed into the room we just came out of. I could hear Alexander walk over to Bella, but he was silent for a full minute before speaking.

"I don't want you to be difficult, Bella. There's no need for it."

_Edward?_ I could hear the tears in Bella's silent plea, and I moved forward.

_No, Edward._ Carlisle grabbed hold of my arm and held be back. _He's right next to Bella. He could harm her, easily. You have to wait. _The word 'wait' had never been a great word in my vocabulary. It never settled well with me.

_I'm coming in the front door_. Morris' voice was a breath of fresh air, and I knew with the four of us, Alexander had no way to fight us off.

From the front of the house, I heard the soft _click_ of the lock turning. I listened to make sure Alexander didn't hear it, but he was completely clueless as he concentrated on my Bella. I heard a muffled protest coming from Bella, followed by a muffled scream.

I'll be honest- I saw red. Anger surged through me so quickly that I didn't register that I was moving until I was already across the room. Turning the corner, I saw something along the same lines that I saw in Alice's vision.

Alexander was on top of Bella, his hips pressed into hers. Her face was turned to the side, her eyes squeezed shut as she trembled. I could sense that she was trying to push any type of energy outwards, but her fear was so thick that it blinded her.

A loud roar erupted from my chest, and I took all the energy I had been using to connect the four of us, and threw it out, slamming it into Alexander. He went air borne, his face full of surprise. He slammed into the wall above the bed, and it was then that I saw that his pants were unzipped. My breath was caught in my throat when I saw that he had been trying to remove Bella's pants as well.

"_You sick son of a bitch!"_ I screamed as Alexander fell back onto the bed next to Bella. He scrambled to his feet, trying desperately to zip his pants up.

_Please tell me he didn't touch you!_ I screamed silently at Bella. She closed her eyes again, tears streaming down her face. _Please!_ A muffled scream came from her and I choked out a sob.

"Please!" I yelled. She shook her head once and I turned on Alexander.

"How dare you touch her!" I shouted. My hands were shaking as I pushed off of the floor and flew through the air and slammed into Alexander. We hit the wall to the right of where I had seen Bella send him flying. My hands found their way around his neck, and I squeezed as hard as I could.

I could hear Bella continue to scream from behind her gag, and watched as Jasper rushed forward to rip the tape off of her mouth.

"Edward!" she screamed. I squeezed harder and turned around, looking over my shoulder as Jasper removed the restraints on her arms and feet.

"He touched you," I whispered.

_He didn't rape me_, she said silently. _He touched, but didn't rape me._ My grip loosened- my first mistake. I was hit in the center of my chest and I flew back on the floor. Alexander was on the floor in a crouched position, holding his throat in pain.

"She's mine!" he yelled. I was shocked that he had the audacity to say that to me, and I found that I was on my feet faster than possible. Carlisle stepped in front of me though, blocking me from my target.

"Move, Carlisle!" I tried lunging, again and again. But Carlisle held me back as Morris stepped forward, looking at Alexander with disgust on his face. He held his right hand up, pointing what was in it at his target. I stopped fighting when I saw that it was a gun. The gray metal looked foreign in the hands of a Ganduri- usually not needed because of our strength.

"Carlisle," I whispered. Carlisle didn't turn to look, only nodded. My eyes widened. He knew exactly what Morris was going to do.

"Explain to me," Morris said to Alexander, "how you thought kidnapping this poor girl and forcing yourself on her would make her _want you_." Alexander's eyes were trained on the gun in front of him. A single bullet would hurt him, yes. Kill him? No. But I knew that Morris would do more than just put one bullet in him. Morris had no personal reason to be there besides his agreement with Carlisle, but I could sense something more in the man. His anger at the sight before him was radiating throughout the room, affecting everyone. Jasper sat on the bed, his arms around Bella as he sent her calming waves. Carlisle still had to hold me back, because I knew the moment he let me go, I would be rushing forward to help Morris with Alexander's death.

"Explain!" Morris shouted. Alexander stood up straight, not taking his eyes off of the barrel of the gun.

"What's it to you?" His voice was rough, and it caused me some sort of satisfaction to know he was in any pain. Morris stepped forward and pressed the gun to the center of Alexander's head.

"It's everything to me," he whispered. Alexander's eyes darted around the room, finally landing on Bella. I stepped to the side, blocking his view.

"You don't get to look at her," I said from behind Carlisle's chest. "You don't have the right to even look in her direction."

"But I need her to want me," Alexander whispered. I felt nauseous at his words, not understanding what he meant.

"I won't ever want him," Bella whispered.

_I know, love, _I said silently to her.

"I don't want to die," Alexander continued. "She's my only chance to live forever." Carlisle turned towards him then, one of his hands still on me.

"How do you figure you have the right to live forever?" Carlisle asked with sadness in his eyes. "You've lived for over two hundred years! You had so long to go!"

"Had?" Alexander caught the word. Morris pressed the gun into his head even more, hoping he got the message.

"Had," Morris confirmed. "All those who don't want to be a part of this, please vacate the room." He sounded like a tour guide, politely telling everyone to keep their arms and legs inside at all times. I watched as Jasper lifted Bella off of the bed and carry her out of the room without a second glance. I looked at Carlisle, seeing the emotions turn in his eyes.

"Edward, I can't be here for this, but if you want to you can." With that, Carlisle let me go and stepped back. I knew what he was doing. He was giving me the choice to get revenge. Carlisle nodded at me and then at Morris before he walked towards the broken doorway.

"Carlisle!" Alexander's voice stopped him dead in his tracks, and I watched as Carlisle turned and looked at his old friend. "Please, don't do this." The anger I had felt before was nothing compared to what Carlisle was feeling right that moment.

"Don't do this?" he whispered. He took a step forward, closer and closer to Alexander. "Don't do what? Don't protect my family? Don't do what is morally right? You _kidnapped her_, Alexander! You stole her, injured her and brought her in the fucking woods to rape her and make her your own! She's like my daughter, and you tried to take my daughter away from me!" I stepped back as Carlisle took another step forward. I had never seen him this angry, and all I could think was _thank God._

"Don't do this?" Carlisle whispered. "Don't do _this_?" And in the blink of an eye, Carlisle took the gun from an all too willing Morris and pressed it against Alexander's temple.

"This?" And he squeezed the trigger.

* * *

***Cowers behind my computer* I know it's a horrible place to leave off but I love it! hehe. PLEASE REVIEW! I love reviews. **

**OH- I'm gonna give a little shout out. I read this story over the past few days, it's called "Seeking Asylum" by jeansnbling. It is a FABULOUS story! I love what she did with the Edward and Bella charachters. Love it love it. So read it, leave her love. Just like the love you're going to leave me, right? haha til the next chapter!**

**Love Ashley**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello out there in FF land :) Here is the next chapter, and I know that a lot of you were looking forward to it. Honestly, it would have been up sooner, but I had an emotionally charged week that did not give me the time to write. BUT, I surpassed the odds and finished the chapter. Very exciting!**

**I do want to say that a few people were surprised that I had Carlisle pull the trigger on Alexander. I need to say that I wanted to portray how strong Carlisle is, how far he will go to protect his family ;)**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own the charachters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a pack of new pens- 0.5 mm babay! This sounds stupid, but it's the finer things in life that excite me. Like pens and notebooks (does this mean I need to get out more?)**

* * *

**Edward's POV**

I jumped back when Carlisle pulled the trigger to the gun, wincing when I saw blood fly through the air and hit the wall. I could hear Bella scream in the distance and I sent out silent words of comfort.

_Don't worry, love. It's none of us._

Bella sobbed with what I assumed to be relief and I watched as Carlisle handed the gun back to Morris. The gun shot did not kill Alexander, but I knew this would be an act of revenge on Carlisle's part. It was what he needed to bring closure in his mind.

"Do you feel better?" Morris asked. Carlisle shook his head slightly and sighed.

"You would think," he said quietly, "but I don't feel much of anything right now." Both Morris and I nodded and watched as Carlisle walked out the door to join Jasper and Bella. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight before me, entranced as Morris holstered the gun and leaned down to turn the motionless Alexander on his stomach. He carefully studied his back and after a moment he flipped out a small knife and stabbed the skin between the shoulders. Like a switch had been flipped, Alexander's wings began to extend from his back, the black feathers spreading wide. My eyes were wide as Morris then proceeded to slide the knife along the skin where the wings and back met.

"What are you doing?" I whispered. Morris only glanced at me for a moment before he continued. The sound of flesh and cartilage ripping apart made me slightly nauseous, but I refused to leave.

"A Ganduri is defined by what he, or now _she_, does," Morris replied evenly. "Now that Alexander has gone beyond the line of forgiveness, no one will respect him as a man, or as a Ganduri." The knife slid along the second wing, cartilage popping in small increments. I nodded in agreement, my eyes never wavering.

"As a Ganduri, he shows his wings as a sign of strength. The size of them and the color, and even the width is a pride thing. If I had known him outside of this moment, I would be respectful of him. Well, I need to take away what would define him as a respected person." Morris stood and grabbed hold of each wing. He placed a foot in between Alexander's shoulders and pressed hard. With one grunt of energy, he _ripped_ Alexander's wings from his body. I closed my eyes and felt my stomach churn. I knew Morris would kill him, but I would lie if I said I wasn't surprised at this.

"As a man," Morris continued, throwing the wings in the corner of the room, blood dripping, "he is defined by his strength and his stature. He is defined by his ability to hold a conversation, and by his bravery. I have taken away what defines him mythically, but now I must kill the man in him." And then he pressed the same knife to the back of Alexander's neck. I watched as the blade pressed into his skin, blood pooling under the metal. Very slowly, Morris began to move the knife back and forth, cutting deep into the neck.

"Death is only possible, as you already know, by destroying the body." Morris seemed unfazed at the amount of blood that was spreading over his hands and onto the floor. "You do not have to stay for this, Edward. You should go to your Bella." I nodded, glad to have the excuse to leave. I paused only once before I walked out of the broken door and towards the front of the house. It was there that I saw Bella sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped around her waist. Jasper was sitting behind her, rubbing his hands along her arms, whispering into her ear. She seemed to be calm, more than I thought she would be, and I knew I had Jasper to thank for that. Carlisle was leaning against one of the porch beams and he looked curious when I came back out.

_He's nothing if not thorough,_ I said silently. Carlisle nodded. I approached Bella and kneeled before her. Her eyes slowly made their way up to me and she seemed to relax even further.

"Edward," she whispered. She was in my arms before I could respond, and I pulled her close, squeezing her tightly into me.

"I love you," I said gently into her hear. "I'm so sorry this happened. So sorry." She shook her head and pulled back, her golden eyes gentle as they searched my own.

"It's not your fault. I'm just glad you guys found me before…" She didn't have to say it. We knew what would have happened if Carlisle hadn't called Morris. I looked up at Carlisle and sent him a silent thank you.

We remained like that for close to half an hour before Morris made his appearance.

"I think it's about time we leave," he said with authority. I could smell something burning, and I knew right away that it was probably a pile of Alexander's dismembered limbs. I pulled Bella to her feet and watched as Carlisle and Jasper extended their wings, ready to fly.

_Time to go, love._ Bella nodded and closed her eyes. It only took a second before she began to transform. Her wings stretched out farther than I had ever seen before, and within minutes we were all standing, side by side. With a push off the ground, we all flew into the air, heading north. I never stayed more than a few feet from Bella, watching her as we headed back towards the school. She seemed calm, closing her eyes every now and then to feel the air against her face.

An hour later, we followed Morris towards the ground, sighing with relief as we landed on the ground within the woods. I could see the main house yards away, and suddenly wanted sleep, lots and lots of sleep.

"What happens now?" Bella whispered into the breeze. I glanced at Carlisle, whose eyes held a bit of determination that had not been there before.

"I head out," Morris responded to Bella's question. Her eyes darted to his and she stepped forward, embracing him in a hug.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For everything. For finding me and killing Alexander.." Morris seemed shocked as Bella hugged him, but he eventually brought his hands up to pat her back.

"You are very welcome, Isabelle." They separated and he nodded to both Jasper and I. Carlisle began walking with him towards the house, their wings disappearing further into their backs with each step. I followed suit and as I turned back to Bella and Jasper, I saw that we all had transformed back. Bella closed her eyes for a moment, and I could almost feel her body begin to relax. I took a step forward and watched as she visibly tensed. Her eyes opened and I saw tears fill her eyes.

"Bella?" I whispered. Her bottom lip trembled as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I need Alice."

* * *

**Bella's POV**

I lay on the couch in the spare living room that was down the hall from the Isolation room, my head in Alice's lap as she ran her fingers through my freshly washed hair. The second I walked back onto campus, I headed for the shower, needing to wash every bit of _him_ off of me. I could still feel him pressed down on me as I scrubbed every inch of my skin with a rough loofa. My skin was raw and red by the time I stepped out of the shower, the water that dripped from my hair mixing in with the few tears that had continued to fall.

We had been there for over an hour, silent besides the occasional sigh or sniffle. When I saw her after I got back to the school, we ran to each other and cried. Apparently she had known what I had gone through, or at least most of it.

Edward and Jasper were sitting in the hall outside the door, refusing to leave our sides for even a second. Every ten minutes or so, Edward would project a thought into my mind, and I would send one right back. He wanted to make sure I was okay, and I would grant him a sporadic picture if that helped him at all.

"He's really dead?" Alice finally asked. I didn't move, but licked my lips.

"Yes. Morris took care of it."

"Jasper said Carlisle shot him." _Did_ he now. This was new information. I mentally searched for Carlisle's mind in the house, and when I found him I sent him silent words:

_Carlisle, you are the father I have always wanted. I love you so much, and I want to thank you for being there for me._

I heard Carlisle's intake of breath and then a quiet, "You're welcome, Bella. I love you as well."

"Edward was so angry that _he_ touched you," Alice whispered. Both Edward and Jasper let out a grown from their post in the hall. I lifted my head and smiled towards the door. We hadn't even mentioned his name and they were about to rip something apart. I loved them. Edward, Jasper and Carlisle were my life, my saviors. And even though the threat was technically gone, we were all on alert. The thought was still there, making the memories all too real for us.

"Alice…" I pushed myself up fully and positioned myself to where I was sitting directly next to her. My eyes seemed to find a place to look- everywhere but at her.

"What's wrong, Bella?" I let my eyes touch her just for a second before I looked at a large dark streak in the woodwork in front of me. I suddenly found the pattern very interesting. No one spoke as the seconds passed by. I wanted to talk to Alice about what happened, I _needed_ to talk to her. My mind still became a panicked frenzy when I thought of _him_ touching me.

"Bella?"

"He touched me," I whispered. Alice took my hand in hers, squeezing tightly as she let me continue. Another growl sounded from the hall, but I had to ignore it.

"He thought that he would be immortal. He thought he would be able to take Edward's place beside me if he had me choose him. And then he thought if he slept with me, if he _mated_ with me, it would happen."

"Please don't tell me he…" Alice couldn't finish the sentence, and I'm glad that she didn't. If she had thrown out the possibilities in the air, it would have made me think the 'what if's', and there was no coming back from that.

"No," I reassured her. "No, he didn't. They got to me in time."

"I saw it happening," Alice turned her watery eyes towards me. "I showed Edward, even though I didn't want to. But he had to see it, otherwise he wouldn't have appreciated the gravity of the situation. It wasn't just _him_ taking you and keeping you hidden away. He had a reason, a sick and disgusting reason, and he had plans. If Edward hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have known. And he had to know." I pulled Alice into my arms, feeling her panic rise.

"Shh, it's okay Alice. I understand why you showed him. I understand." We sat there for a few minutes, me brushing her hair back away from her face. I wanted to laugh at the situation, me being the one to comfort her. I now knew that I wasn't the only one who had gone through something traumatic tonight. But, Edward wouldn't have understood my need to just sit and collect myself. He would have wanted to talk, to hash it all out right then and there. Alice let me sit in silence while I thought. That's what I needed.

"I love you, Alice."

"Aww, Bella, I love you, too."

_She's going to be one of us._ I started at Edward's voice in my head, amazed at his words.

_What? How? _I didn't let him answer before I turned to Alice with wide eyes.

"You're going to be a Ganduri? How? How do you know? Is it like Jasper wanted?" Alice's wide eyes matched my own and she let out a single laugh.

"How did you… never mind." She shook her head and glanced at the door. "Edward needs to let me tell you things at my own pace." I could hear Jasper and Edward laugh, but thankfully they stayed just where they were.

"How? How did you find out?" My mind was flying, all thoughts of Alexander behind me. The news that my best friend could join me in a long life was the best birthday present anyone could have given me.

Alice turned on the couch and faced me completely, pulling my hands into my lap.

"I need you to do what Edward did. Push your energy out to include me. That way you can see what's in my head." I cocked an eyebrow but nodded. Closing my eyes only for a second, I pushed a wave of energy out, only stopping when I felt Alice's own energy within my bubble.

"Okay," I whispered. She smiled and, like watching a movie, pictures started flying in front of me. It was the image of me, Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper standing at the top of the hill outside of the house. We were looking out over the school campus, at what though, I wasn't sure of. Jasper stepped forward, his eyes glowing with happiness. Movement from down the hill caught my attention, and I watched as Alice ran right into Jasper's arms, hugging him tightly. When she pulled back, her eyes began to glow as her nails darkened and grew. Only when I watched brown wings grow from her back did I close my eyes and shake my head, drawing my energy back to release Alice.

"Oh my God!" I screamed as I lunged at her, pulling her into the tightest hug I could.

"How? _How?_" I asked. Jasper had wanted it to happen, we had discussed it. He even went to Carlisle to talk to him about it. But what were the odds that Alice was even able to _become_ a Ganduri?

I pulled back from her and saw that her face was alive with apprehension. Even though the possibilities were exciting, it was scary. I knew exactly what she was going through.

"But… don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic about this being in your future. The possibility of spending longer than a few years with you…" I felt the tears fall from my eyes. My best friend wouldn't die in fifty years. She'd be with me and the ones we loved.

"How come no one has sensed it? I thought, well, I thought that any new Ganduri emitted some kind of aura or something. Edward felt it with me." A look of hurt flashed across Alice's face, and I stopped my rambling for a moment, taking a deep breath and starting over.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like I didn't want you to be a part of my life, Alice. I would love nothing more than for you to be one of us. I was just curious." A knock sounded on the door, and Edward came in before waiting for a response.

"Sorry," he whispered unnecessarily, smiling at me gently before turning his attention to speak to Alice. "I didn't mean to intrude, but I overheard your conversation." Both Alice and I let out a laugh, knowing damn well that he and Jasper were sitting outside the door and could hear every word we said to one another.

"Are you going to shed some light on the situation?" Alice asked him. Edward shook his head just once, and then locked eyes with her.

"Bella is right. Any and all Ganduri's emit a certain aura. This lets us know that this person is able to be transformed, and undergo the ceremony. Unfortunately, none of us have gotten this vibe off of you, Alice, because the prophecy only spoke of one woman Ganduri."

"But my vision…" Alice was cut off by Jasper walking in behind Edward. But _he_ had a smile on his face.

"The prophecy only spoke of one female Ganduri," Jasper assured her, "but we have the belief that any other females would not have been seen because of all the hype and concentration on the original. Bella, of course, is the first female Ganduri. But there is nothing, absolutely _nothing_, saying that there can't be anymore."

"But what about the whole aura, essence, feeling of power thing you get when you sense another Ganduri?" I asked. Jasper clasped his hands together behind his back and sent Edward a look.

"You were both right in saying that no one has gotten the vibe from Alice. But, and Carlisle agrees, that there is nothing saying that we can't try the ceremony on her. And because of the vision you had, Alice, we now think that it will work."

"And if it doesn't work?" Alice asked quietly. "What happens if my vision was wrong? It's happened before." Jasper walked to Alice and kneeled down, placing her face gently into his hands.

"I love you. And I will not stop until I find a way to spend the rest of my life with you." The statement was sweet, but also depressing. If we weren't able to help Alice? What then? Would Jasper have one of us help himself die? The thought of Jasper not being here, as my friend and as by brother, was absolutely heart wrenching. But as I looked at the love that passed between the two of them, I knew we had to at least try.

I searched for Carlisle's mind once more and spoke to him silently.

_Care to join in on the conversation?_

I could hear him laugh, and his footsteps grew louder as he ascended the staircase. As soon as Carlisle arrived, questions were fired at him left and right until he held up his hands to silence us. He looked at an apprehensive Alice and smiled gently.

"Alice, this is going to be a situation where we won't know the outcome until we do it." Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Edward silenced him with a look.

"There's a lot of 'maybe's' and 'what if's' that we can throw around for days, but in the end it's completely up to you." Alice nodded, her eyes flickering over to Jasper.

"I want this. I need to try." Carlisle watched her for a few silent seconds before he nodded.

"Okay, then it's only a matter of when."

"Tonight." Alice's response was so definite, so sure, that even I was caught off guard. I leaned forward taking her hand in my own.

"Really? Are you sure you don't want to wait a few days to think about it?" I didn't want to talk her out of it, but even _I_ had needed time to grasp the situation when I was in her position. Alice's face turned to me, and I was thoroughly shocked to see the absolute resolution in her eyes.

"Tonight," she said softly. Jasper moved to sit at Alice's right, pulling her into a tight hug. I could _feel_ the desperation in their embrace, the need to be with one another so strong that tears sprang to my eyes.

"Okay," Carlisle whispered. I looked up to see both he and Edward staring at the two with tears in _their_ eyes as well.

"Let's all get something to eat, and then we'll reconvene for plans. It's going to be a bit different than normal, especially with…" Carlisle stopped, but we all heard the unspoken words.

_With Alexander gone._

I stood and let Edward take my hand. The others were close behind as we walked down the steps and towards the door. My stomach was growling, and I couldn't remember the last time I actually ate a meal.

"I want a grilled cheese sandwich," I said to Edward as he put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to his side.

"Oh you do, do you?" he grinned. I nodded and pulled my mouth up to his ear.

"I'd like to eat it off of your body, but I don't think Carlisle would appreciate us getting naked in the Rec Hall." Edward let out a low growl and jerked me to a stop. Jasper and Alice side stepped us to avoid plowing into our backs and Jasper threw a smile over his shoulder.

"We'll see you inside," he said. I couldn't help but notice that he seemed to know something I didn't know, but when Carlisle walked around us as well, things began to click.

"Don't get caught," Carlisle said in a low voice. My face turned hot. Did they hear what I had said? I wasn't _actually_ planning on eating a grilled cheese sandwich off of Edward's naked body. Wait, did I even say 'naked' aloud? This was starting to sound appetizing...

Edward then pulled on my arm, yanking me behind a large tree, out of view from anyone entering or leaving the Rec Hall. I recognized the tree very well, having been pressed against it before.

"Edward?" I whispered. His mouth crashed down on mine, his tongue not even asking for entrance before it fought for dominance with my own. My body arched forward, pressing into his as a moan left my throat. I plunged my hands into his hair, so happy that he had decided to grow it out instead of cutting it short like he had planned. His locks stuck up in different directions, showing off the red streaks mixed in with his now golden color. I pulled away, gasping for air, and Edward immediately started laying open mouthed kisses along my jaw and down my throat, his tongue leaving a wet trail behind.

"So beautiful," he whispered as he licked along my collar bone. I lifted my leg, hitching it up over his hip as he started thrusting his hip into me. Magically, he hit my core, sending bursts of pleasure through me. I could hear another moan, and realized I was making a lot more noise than I planned on. Biting down on my bottom lip, my moans reduced into whimpers.

"Mine," Edward breathed. His hand that was not holding my hips flush against him came up and pulled down the front of my shirt. The cool night air hit my chest, my lace covered nipple pebbling in the moonlight. "You're mine." Edward's voice was rough as his mouth clamped down, sucking hard on my nipple. My head flew back as I cried out. I moved my hips faster, rocking into him as if he had no clothes on and we were connected. With agility I didn't know I had, I swung my other leg up, completely circling Edward's torso. He seemed to press even closer and I moved my arms from around his neck to above my head, letting my back press against the bark of the tree completely.

I felt free. I felt beautiful. As Edward held me, showing me exactly how beautiful he thought I was, I thanked Ryan. I thanked him for saving me that night almost a year ago. I thanked my parents for giving up on me and sending me to Silver Bay. I thanked my new family, for accepting me and bringing me into their lives.

"I love you," I whispered into the night, a single tear sliding down my cheek. Edward pulled my bra and released my breast, staring at me with love in his eyes as he ran his tongue along my skin, his warmth sending chills down my spine.

"I need to taste you," he whispered. He grasped onto my waist and untangled my legs. I whimpered at the loss as my feet touched the ground. I was barely able to hold myself up as Edward kneeled before me. He glanced around, his head turning side to side as he scanned the area. Before I could ask him if everything was okay, he brought his hand to my jean button and flicked it open. My breath caught in my throat as he slid my pants over my hips and down to my ankles. Another shiver went through my body as a breeze caught me on my already soaked center. When Edward hooked a thumb on each side of the dainty cloth and pulled down, a light bulb went off in my head.

"Oh my God, Edward!" He smirked up at me and put a single finger up to his lips, signaling for me to stay quiet. I ached for that finger to be either in my mouth or inside of me, but I only watched as he dropped it slowly, leaving his red lips bare and smiling. Edward bent down even further and placed his head directly between my legs, his nose skimming over my slit. I closed my eyes and let my head rest on the tree, enjoying the feeling of being out in the open, the possibility of being caught hanging thick in the air. I looked back down and gasped as Edward grasped my left leg and hiked it up over his shoulder. This apparently gave him the perfect angle to dive in.

His tongue slid right into my folds, lapping up all the juices that had pooled just for him. The tip of his tongue circled over my clit, sending electric jolts right into the bundle of nerves already gathering in my stomach. My hands found their way back into his hand, pulling him closer and closer still. His tongue slid in and out of me, and I began rocking against his mouth, urging him on.

"Uh… please, Edward!" The sensation in my stomach was building, and before I could brace myself, I saw stars. My hands tightened into fists as I tugged on Edward's hair, and I bit down on my lip so I wouldn't scream. His tongue continued to work as I moaned softly. When he pulled away I wanted to cry due to the feeling of loss, but relaxed when Edward slipped into my arms, bringing my jeans up with him.

"That was amazing," I whispered into his ear as he buttoned my pants. I could feel the smile pressed against my temple as Edward placed feather light kisses along the side of my face.

"I missed you," he whispered back. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you." I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Tears were pooling in my eyes and flowing silently down my cheeks at this point.

And then, to my surprise, I felt Edward's shoulders start to shake.

"Edward?" I leaned back just a bit and looked at his face. My eyes popped open and I sobbed as I watched tears flow from his eyes, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Bella, I would have died if you were taken away from me!" I pulled him close again, running my fingers through his hair.

"It's okay, Edward. I'm okay. We're fine." My words did nothing to soothe him, so I held him as we both cried. More than a minute passed by before his tears began to dry. I still held him, wanting to chase away his fears.

"I'm not going anywhere, no where at all," I said softly. Edward pulled his head back, and I felt a pang of sadness at how his eyes were red and swollen from the tears.

"Promise me, that you will not go anywhere," he said, running his hands over my shoulders and arms. "Promise me."

"I promise, Edward. I promise." It would take a force greater than God to tear me away from him again. Never, could I ever imagine my life without him.

"Marry me." My head snapped up, gold eyes meeting gold eyes.

"Excuse me?" I breathed. Edward seemed shocked at first that he had said the words aloud, but after a second, he nodded.

"Marry me, Bella. Marry me." I blinked once, twice. Was he serious? His eyes had that same determination that Jasper held when he spoke about Alice's ceremony. He was dead serious.

"Yes." I gasped as the word left my mouth. I had said it without thinking, the answer coming naturally. But when I felt it on my tongue, I smiled. It felt right.

"Yes," I repeated. Edward's eyes lit up as he held my face in his hands.

"Seriously? Yes?" I nodded, laughing. How had this day progressed like this? Edward joined in on my laughter and picked me up off the ground, twirling me in a circle. When he set me down, I memorized his face just as it was. The happiness over every inch. The shine of his eyes, the width of his smile. The way his hair blew in the breeze.

"I love you, Edward. I am the happiest person in the world. Yes, yes I will marry you." He held me then, rocking me back and forth as we relished in the glory of being engaged. Only when a voice echo through the air did we separate.

"Hello?" I pulled away from Edward, sending him one last smile before I looked away. My eyes landed on a figure standing about twenty feet away, a man in his mid twenties, long brown hair that hung limp on his head. He was about as tall as Edward, and the majority of his skin was covered in tattoos. What caught my eye were the tattoos on his wrists. Barbed wires.

"Oh shit," I whispered so low that only Edward could hear me. His eyes darted to me and I saw his posture become rigid.

"Yes?" I spoke up. I didn't need to; I had the sinking feeling of who he was.

"Sorry to interrupt your, um… moment. But I'm looking for someone. I know you guys have rules and all, but it's kind of an emergency." The man's voice was somewhat rough, and I saw that he could barely keep eye contact with either me or Edward.

"You are correct, we do have rules. Who are you looking for?" Edward's voice was full of authority, and I smirked at him. It turned me on a little to hear him speak this way.

"Alice Brandon?" He said her name like a question, but he only spoke what I already knew. Great.

"And you would be?" Edward was especially on edge now, and he moved me so that I was standing slightly behind him. I wanted to roll my eyes, to tell him that I would be able to take down anyone who attacked me. But instead I looked at Alice's boyfriend- _ex-boyfriend_- and grimaced.

"I'm Jeremy, sir. Um, I'm Alice's boyfriend." Edward let out a laugh and I stepped around him, sending Edward a look.

"Hi, Jeremy. My name is Bella. I'm a friend of Alice's." Jeremy seemed relieved that he had found someone who knew Alice, but I had to set him straight. "Sorry to be the downer, but isn't it _ex_ boyfriend?" Jeremy pulled at the hem of his black t-shirt and glared at me.

"That's why I'm here. She decided to share that bit of news with me through a letter, and I want a better explanation." Really? I wanted to ask him what made him think he deserved one, as he had yet to contact Alice the entire time I had been there. She had turned eighteen last month, but because of Jasper, Carlisle had no urge to send her packing. She was a permanent fixture at this school, for as long as she'd want to be.

"Maybe you and Alice should be having this conversation," I said calmly. He nodded once, his eyes darting around the campus as if he expected her to appear out of no where. I looked at Edward and spoke to him silently.

_Let's go get Alice, let her deal with him. We'll be there for her, but she's tough._

Edward nodded and waved Jeremy forward as we walked towards the Rec Hall. My insides were still singing over what had transpired over the past ten minutes- oral pleasure, followed by a declaration of Edward's love, followed by a marriage proposal. I was blissfully happy.

_Maybe we should warn them? _Edward said to me. I nodded and searched for Alice's mind in the Rec Hall that loomed before us. Most of the campus lights were off, but the glow from the buildings' windows spilled out over the grounds, providing plenty of light for any stragglers.

_Alice? It's Bella. You have a visitor. Jeremy. He received your letter and wants to talk to you._ I listened carefully and listened through the noise as Alice spoke quickly to Jasper. I had a feeling she didn't want to include him, but she probably should.

_Bring Jasper with you. We'll buzz you in a second, come outside then._

When we reached the walkway in front of the Hall, we stopped and Edward buzzed Jasper.

"Go ahead," Edward whispered into the radio. That's all the signal Jasper and Alice needed, and the doors opened almost immediately. Jeremy didn't seem to find it odd that we were able to have them come out with little to no communication. His eyes were glued to Alice, a pitiful look splashed across his face.

"Jeremy?" Alice asked with a hint of distaste. I was pleased to see that she didn't look happy at all to see him. But what worried me was Jasper. He was standing to his full height, looming over us with a fierce look in his eyes. Jeremy's eyes locked on him for a moment before he gathered the courage to look back at Alice.

"Alice, I need to talk to you." Alice looked at me, almost pleading with me to help her out. I just shook my head once before stepping back. I felt uneasy with Edward and Jasper looking as scary as they were.

"Jeremy, you can't be here." Jeremy stepped forward and shook his head.

"You're already eighteen! You were supposed to come home! I was waiting, and instead of you on my doorstep, I get a letter?" Alice stepped forward as well and glared at her ex.

"I was here _because_ of you, you fucking moron. It would have been nice if you had kept contact with me. I haven't spoken to you in almost a year! What on earth makes you think that I'm going to come home to you? You are not home. _This _is home." Jasper seemed pleased by her answer, and squeezed her hand tightly. Jeremy caught the gesture and his eyes flew to their interlocked hands.

"Is this why you broke up with me? Because of him?" Jeremy then had the nerve to look Jasper up and down and scoff. "Seriously? He's not even your type!"

"And what is my type?" Alice said quietly. "Someone who can't provide a future for me? Someone who led me down the wrong path and helped destroy myself? No, I'm happy here. They've helped me more than you ever have. More than you could ever know." Alice stepped forward and pointed a finger in Jeremy's face.

"You are nothing to me, Jeremy. You and I are over. You shouldn't have come here. Go." Jeremy reached out and grabbed Alice's wrist, attempting to pull her closer. My thoughts? _Wrong move._

Alice yanked her hand away and pressed both palms flat against Jeremy's shirt, and pushed him away.

"Leave!" Through the window behind Jasper I could see a few students turn to see who was yelling, and then Carlisle weaving through the students with a smile on his face. The smile was fake though, and I knew he was coming to assist the situation.

"You are coming home," Jeremy said with a growl. "Don't make a scene Alice." Jasper stepped in front of Jeremy, sufficiently blocking Alice from his view.

"You need to _go_," Jasper hissed. His eyes were glowing, and I knew that everything was getting out of hand. Stupidly, Jeremy looked up into the statue that was Jasper and glared back at him.

"I'm not going _anywhere_ without her. You can't keep her hostage."

"Hostage?" Jasper asked. "So that's the only answer you have for this? She doesn't want to be with you, so she's being held against her will?" Jeremy slid his hands into his hair and let out a heart wrenching cry.

"She's coming with me!" Jasper raised his hands, palms out, and I could sense a warm feeling flow through the air. I knew then that he was sending out calming vibes, trying to defuse the situation. Just then the door opened and Carlisle stepped out, immediately turning into Director mode.

"Hello there, I am Carlisle Cullen, Director of this establishment. How can I help you?" I tried to shake my head, to let him know that those weren't the most productive words to offer. I was right, and Jeremy looked up into Carlisle's eyes and pointed an angry finger, shaking with rage.

"You can go to fucking hell!" Jeremy screamed. He reached into his pocket with blinding speed, and when I saw a glint of metal, I gasped. Every nerve in my body came alive as my vision snapped. The knife Jeremy held shined in the glow from the window, and like in slow motion, Jasper looked down at it and his eyes widened. Alice let out a scream and Carlisle and Edward tensed. I, though, shoved out my hands, pushing all of my energy between Jasper and Jeremy. Jeremy went flying back, arching in the air as the knife went flying.

I grimaced as Jeremy landed on the ground ten feet away, knife about five feet from him. We all froze, stunned that I reacted that quickly.

The only thing that thawed the five frozen people?

The pool of blood that was forming beneath Jeremy's head.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW! I absolutely loooove reviews- they make me all warm and tingly inside.**

**I know I shouldn't have thrown another cliffhanger in the story like this (although it's not a HUGE cliffhanger, but still significant lol). What do you think Carlisle will do to protect his family this time? What will happen to Jeremy? Is he even still alive? I will have another chapter posted this weekend! I have no life- let's devote my hours to FF land and POGO. Wah hoo! 3 Ashley**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everyone! I know that I have been MIA for a bit, and my only excuse is that life takes over for a while, grabbing you away from what you actually want to do. With a mixture of work and family, stress and being tired, I can honestly say that at eight at night I haven't the energy to write. But I want to thank you for sticking with me, checking all the time to see if I have updated. Which brings me to my next observation...  
I have realized that each of my chapters are equivolent to about 11-12 Microsoft Word pages. This equals roughly seven thousand words a chapter. It's a lot. And when I sit down and say to myself 'Okay, I've got two pages written, only ten more to go'... it overwhelms me. And then I do that thing where I say 'I'll put it off until tomorrow and I'll have more time.' Of course, the time never comes, and I just keep putting it off. SO what I've decided to do is make my chapters a bit shorter. This way I don't feel overwhelmed, and I update sooner. I hope this helps me put my stories out faster, because I hate disappointing everyone. Especially since you've stuck with me through the whole thing. So, here's the next chapter- only eight Word pages!- and I put it out faster than if I forced myself to make it longer. **

**Side notes: Want to hear something funny? When I find the spare moments to read/write Fan Fic, I become thrown in a world where I visualize Edward as being a gorgeous adult man, who is tattooed up and has piercings, or in some cases he's a high powered business man or lawyer, who has sex with Bella in elevators as they make their way to the top floor of a skyscraper in New York City... and then what happens? I watched Twilight on my DVR the other night, and I was thrown into the fact that Edward is a seventeen year old vampire, who looks so freaking young in that damn movie, that I feel like I'm robbing the cradle. LMAO, has anyone else gone through this?**

**Also, the teeny bopper in me (or I can blame it on the fact that I have a fourteen year old niece) watches Big Time Rush on Nickelodeon. And they have this song called "Boyfriend"... that has a line that says "Bigger than the Twilight love afair..." I got such a kick out of that!**

**A/N: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the charachters portrayed in the book and/or movie. But I do have a new sign for my kitchen that says "Wishes won't wash dishes." It so suits me.**

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I sat in front of the Rec Hall, silently yelling at myself for being so carless and stupid. Carlisle had long since taken Jeremy to the medical building, Edward going with them. I was sitting on the sidewalk under the large window, looking at the large pool of blood that was left behind. As my eyes traced the edges into my mind, Jeremy threw a bucket of water on the spot, followed by bleach. Alice already had a large scrub brush to start cleaning with. I sat there though, dumbfounded at how easily I could have been caught.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked me as the dark liquid turned pink once it mixed with the water. I nodded, clearing my throat.

"Yeah, fine." I looked at her in mild shock. "Why are you asking _me_ that? Are _you_ okay? This must be a clusterfuck of emotions going through your head." Alice just laughed at me and continued to help Jasper clean the mess. I made a movement to stand, but Jasper waved his hand at me to sit back down.

"You sit. They'll be back soon, probably without our new guest," Jasper looked over at Alice, "and then we have other things to take care of." Sighing seemed to be the only thing I was allowed to do, so I waited, and watched, as the blood disappeared. I watched as Alice and Jasper put away the cleaning supplies, and I remained motionless as the Rec Hall cleared out. Students and teachers looked at us curiously as the three of us sat on that sidewalk, waiting for Carlisle and Edward to return.

As the last group of students left the building, I heard two people came from the direction I'd been watching. I held my breath, and low and behold, Edward and Carlisle appeared like angels in the dark. I jumped up, Jasper and Alice close behind, and I ran to them.

"Is he okay? _Please_ tell me he's okay." My voice was shaking, and I was truly worried that I had done permanent damage of some kind. But Carlisle's face was a picture of calm as he lay his hands on my shoulders, squeezing lightly.

"Jeremy is fine," he soothed. I glanced at Edward and he nodded, smiling at me. "He has a concussion, naturally, but nothing to really worry about."

"Does he remember anything?" Jasper had asked the question that had been pulsating through my mind. Edward stepped forward and caught my eyes again.

"From what we can gather, he has no idea what happened. I shoved the idea at him that he tripped and fell. Cliché, but effective nonetheless." A collective sigh of relief rang out from the three of us, and I found myself leaning on Jasper, my mind exhausted.

"What now?" Alice asked quietly. I lifted my head and peered at her. She looked so hesitant and afraid. Part of me asked _why_, but I knew she was afraid Carlisle had changed his mind about the ceremony. She was afraid Jeremy's appearance had changed his mind.

I took a deep breath and projected my thoughts to Carlisle.

_Alice thinks you're going to change your mind about the ceremony._ Carlisle's head whipped around to look at me, and I could all but hear his voice in my own head.

_She's ready,_ I told him. _More ready than I was. We have to at least try it._ Jasper chatted with Edward about something that sounded completely mundane, but Alice just stared at me. I froze when my eyes met hers, and I suddenly wondered if she knew that I was discussing her.

"You'll have to start taking the serum," I said aloud. To anyone else, the statement was completely out of place and made no sense. But with us, everyone understood.

"I have been," she whispered. Carlisle visibly tensed, and I took a step back.

"You _what_?" Carlisle's voice was low and, honestly, frightening. How? How had Alice begun to take the serum? I hadn't given it to her. Hell, I didn't know how to make it or where the ingredients were. Was it something that Carlisle just had stored away? Was I even _able_ to make it from scratch? I knew Edward wouldn't betray Carlisle like that. Which left…

My head, along with everyone else's, turned to stare at Jasper. He was standing ramrod straight, his eyes steely as he held Carlisle's gaze.

"Jasper?" Carlisle said his name like a question, and I suddenly felt like I was at a sporting event as my head shot back and forth between both of them. Edward remained silent, a spectator in this event. _Smart man._

"I knew she would have to take the serum for at least three days before we could try the ceremony, so I've been feeding it to her in her food." Jasper's voice was calm. Defiant.

Carlisle shook his head and closed his eyes for only a moment before looking at me.

"You didn't know?" I shook my head slowly and watched as Carlisle asked Edward the same question.

"No, but I don't necessarily disagree with what they've done." Shut up, Edward. Shut that beautiful mouth of yours. Carlisle just glared at him and turned back to Jasper and Alice.

"And if something had gone wrong?" Wrong? My eyebrows rose in question, and Jasper shook his head.

"Nothing did, and if something _had_, I would have come straight to you."

"Wrong?" I interrupted. "What do you mean, _wrong_?"

"Bella, it's not really…" I cut Edward off with a single look, knowing damn well that my eyes were glowing.

"What do you mean when you say 'problems'?" I asked again through clenched teeth. Carlisle shifted his eyes from Jasper to me, clearly hesitating.

"There's always a possibility that the serum can kill someone instead of turn them. Especially if _we're trying to change someone who isn't meant to be changed_." His stressed words were not directed at me, but my heart jumped and I felt panic ripple through me. The words rang a bell in my head, and I wondered why they struck a cord. They were eerily familiar… did I read that somewhere? Had someone told me that?

I could have died.

My mind went wild with the possibilities. I wanted to just shrug and brush it off; after all, I'd been a Ganduri for months. No reason to panic. But the scenarios flew rapidly before my very eyes and I felt my hands clench into fists.

"I could have died," I stated. Carlisle and Edward exchanged a look and Edward spoke.

"That's a worse case scenario." I uncurled the clenched fingers of my right hand and held them up to stop him.

"It was a possibility that had not been discussed thoroughly." I pushed back the anger and turned to Jasper.

"Did you tell Alice this?" He nodded. I looked at Edward again.

"Hmm. Interesting." Edward looked worried.

"Bella-" But I cut him off again.

"We are not going to discuss this right now." I could hear a sarcastic edge in my words and I pursed my lips to keep from sneering at someone.

"And why is that?" he countered. I let the sneer through and took a step forward.

"_Because_ I am seriously debating on whether or not tearing your hair out, handful by handful, will be construed as violence, especially in this situation. So, if you value that pretty head of hair, you'll shut the fuck up before I act on my feelings." There was silence, and then Alice let out a loud laugh, cut off quickly by Jasper's hand clamping over her mouth. Edward looked worried, and Carlisle suddenly seemed very interested in a large crack in the sidewalk. I took a deep breath, forcing back the horrible images of me using one of my abilities on Edward. Just the thought of being that mean to him hit me with the impact of a truck, and I flinched.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. Edward's eyes flew back to mine and he sighed with relief. "I didn't mean to be a bitch, I'm sorry." He stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. I could see Jasper drop his hand from Alice's mouth, and her laughter continued as if she'd never stopped. Carlisle continued to stare at that crack, and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he planned when he would be able to fix it. He was most likely trying to decide to hire someone or do the job himself.

"Carlisle, the crack isn't going anywhere," I said over Edward's shoulder. Edward immediately released me and turned to look at Carlisle. The man looked bashful as he toed the crack with the tip of his boot.

"I know," he sighed. "I just don't remember seeing it before. Let's just say that it bothers me that it's there. It's an imperfection." We all chuckled, and I leaned further into Edward's side.

"So are we going to do this thing, or what?" Jasper's voice was low, but I knew he was worried that someone would back out. I knew one sure thing about the ceremony: every member of the coven had to be present and a part of it in order for it to work. Jasper was surely paranoid that I was going to back out. I glanced at Carlisle and saw that he was looking back at me.

_I'm in if you are,_ I said silently. He nodded.

"Yeah. Let's do this." Jasper's eyes watered as he stared at me, and I felt both his and Alice's gratitude. Without another word, Carlisle led the way towards the main house. My hand remained latched onto Edward's, and I felt my heart beat from the inside of my chest. I was nervous, there was no doubt about it. I, in all honesty, had not been to a ceremony yet. The 'almost ceremony' that had taken place in the basement of the main house didn't count, because nothing had really happened down in that room. And when Carlisle had performed the change under pressure, I was unconscious and the others were busy trying to keep us all safe. So really, I was brand new to this as Alice was. I just knew we were going to play with a few candles.

_You okay?_ I glanced at Edward, shrugging at his silent question. No, I was nervous as hell. That was my real answer. I wanted to tell him that I was scared this would be one of the times that something would go wrong, and that Alice would die. I wanted to tell him that maybe we shouldn't be rushing into this; maybe we should all sit down and discuss this a little further before we changed Alice into an immortal person. I _wanted_ to get a few more days of normalcy, especially after what happened with Alexander. But no, that wouldn't make sense. Because we were all a little weird, and we didn't do things the 'normal' way. And just looking at Jasper and Alice, you could see the excitement in their faces. They were going to get the chance at their happily ever after.

_Has anyone changed someone who wasn't supposed to be a Ganduri?_ I asked Edward as we walked up the small slope of the hill next to Carlisle's house. Edward slowed our step, and in only a second we were now behind the happy couple, giving us a bit more privacy as we carried on our private conversation.

_Not that I am aware,_ he said to me. _Carlisle says that it's never been done because no one actually asks for this kind of life. Most of the people who have been introduced to us have thought that living for a thousand years was pretty cool, but given the chance, they would pass it up. _

_Why didn't you pass it up?_ I wondered. Edward sighed audibly and eyed me for a second.

_Are we really having this conversation right now?_

_I need to know_. And I did. I had to know why Edward accepted this and didn't give up the chance to grow old and die after just eighty years on this earth. Of course, my case was different. I was a fucking prophecy, and I felt an obligation to go through with it all. I wouldn't change it for the world… but everyone's story was different, right?

_Silver Bay had become my home,_ Edward said as we walked up the stone steps and through the doors to Carlisle's house. There was silence still as we followed Carlisle towards the basement door. _When I was given the choice of joining Carlisle or to go about my life, I had immediately thought of my life back home. Of the danger I had put myself in time and time again. And I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had nothing waiting for me anywhere else. This was my home. This is where I wanted to be. I loved the mountain air, I loved the view of the lake when I woke up every morning. I loved what I had made of myself. And it had given me such satisfaction, that I didn't want to pass it up. So, yeah, when it comes down to living for a thousand years, waking up every morning happy, or living for eighty years, not knowing whether or not I was going to die the next day because of a drive by shooting… well, I think I made the right choice. _

Edward looked at me and smiled.

_And the fact that if I hadn't made this choice, and I had left to go back to my hometown to chase some sort of future, I would never have found you. I would never have met the love of my life._

Tears, of course, were threatening to spill from my eyes, and I stopped in my tracks as Carlisle opened the basement door and led Jasper and Alice down the narrow staircase. I listened as their footsteps descended the steps, and I leaned up and kissed Edward softly.

_I love you,_ I told him. _More than you will ever realize. _

Edward grinned and pulled me in for a hug.

_I know you're worried about what will happen to Alice, _he said quietly into my mind. _But I want you to know that I have faith that everything will work itself out. I don't think Carlisle would have gone into this thinking she wouldn't be okay. No, nothing like this has been done as far as my knowledge goes, but we can't hurt but try, no?_

"Right," I said aloud.

"Are you guys coming?" Jasper's voice was anxious, and I laughed as Edward pulled me down the stairs, closing the door behind us.

"Yeah, we're here. Keep your pants on." Edward stepped forward, pulling my arm to guide me to my spot in the circle around Alice. She had already taken her place in the middle of the circle, and Jasper and Edward had gravitated towards theirs. I fought back a wave of nausea as I took the spot I remembered Alexander standing in months ago.

"Bella, are you okay?" I looked down at Carlisle, who was already kneeling at his spot in front of Alice. My eyes darted down to the red candle in front of me and I sighed.

"Can I switch spots with someone else?" I asked. He smirked and looked back down at the book in front of him. My eyebrows rose and I cast my gaze over to Edward.

_That wasn't mean to be rhetorical,_ I said silently. Edward smiled.

_Unfortunately, that is your spot now. Hopefully we won't have to do anymore ceremonies after this… well at least for a few hundred years_.

I nodded. Undoubtedly, with Alexander's passing, I would take his place in the circle. I had to push past my feeling of being uncomfortable; Alice needed me. I reached down and grabbed the candle that I would have to hold throughout the entire ceremony.

Alice… she stood in the midst of us all, her eyes darting around the room with an aura of panic as she held that white candle in her hands. I could feel Jasper's calming waves being tossed through the air at her, but she was deflecting them as if it were nothing. She caught my eye, and I tried to give her a reassuring smile.

_It's going to be okay,_ I said to her. _I know exactly what you're going through… just think positive. There's no one outside of the house hunting you down to steal you away as a prisoner bride. _

Alice burst into laughter, being quickly cut off by a look from Carlisle.

_Sorry, don't mean to disrupt the process. Just stand still and try not to speak or make any sudden movements. I can't tell you exactly what it would mean if you do, I just know that we're not supposed to._

Alice nodded, watching as Carlisle flipped through the book to a marked page and reached into his pocket for something. I knew what it was without him pulling them out: a knife and a small cylindrical bottle. Memories of the previous time in the basement came flooding back, and I looked towards the small window, expecting to hear the howling of wind outside. But everything was silent, night swallowing all of the sounds.

_Something feels off_, I projected into Edward's mind without looking away from the window. I could hear Carlisle whispering to himself, the words in another language that I could not decipher. Suddenly the candle in my hand jerked, and I glanced at it to see the flame dancing high into the air. Looking around the room, I saw that everyone's candle was doing the same. _Something is off, Edward_. He looked at me warily, and I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking that I was loosing my mind, and that there could not be anything else wrong. Not right now, not during Alice's ceremony. But I could feel it- a stirring deep in my gut that screamed at me to interrupt Carlisle and tell him that we should all talk about this. I opened my mouth, my courage trying to inch its way to the surface. But as I drew in a breath, the words on the tip of my tongue, I happened to look over at Jasper.

His eyes were glued to mine, silently pleading with me… _begging _me not to say anything. The words immediately died on my lips as I let out that same breath. Jasper was asking me to stay silent. He couldn't put off this ceremony. He and Alice needed this to happen now. I closed my eyes and inhaled again. Even the air tasted off. But I remained silent. I couldn't ruin this for them. Jasper never asked me for anything; he just went along with whatever and accepted things the way they were. But he went about this completely different that I would have expected- which made me pause in my actions. Jasper was desperate for companionship. He needed Alice by his side for the next nine hundred and something years. I couldn't imagine living that long with just the company of my hand and an occasional acquaintance. I needed love and friendship.

I needed what Alice was to Jasper.

Which I had found in Edward.

_I understand,_ I said to Jasper. I opened my eyes and saw that he had a single tear falling down his cheek. I knew he was grateful that we were all going along with this, and even more grateful that I wasn't opening my stupid mouth to ruin the moment.

Yeah, I was going go shut up and go along with it.

I turned my attention to Carlisle and noticed that he was speaking louder than before- which led me to realize this was as far as my memory would take me. We had not gone beyond this point the day I had changed, and I did not know what would happen next.

My hands shook slightly as the flame of my candle grew higher. I looked at Edward to find that his eyes were closed, a peaceful expression on his face. Was I supposed to be doing the same? I then saw that Jasper was only staring at Alice, which made me believe that everyone had their own way of spending the ceremony. I suppose that my only job was to keep the circle in tact along with everyone else.

Carlisle opened his eyes and made eye contact with Alice. His gaze was steady, never blinking as he spoke in tongues. Alice visibly relaxed, her expression matching Carlisle's. I found it almost hypnotic, like two rattlesnakes having a standoff; when one moved slightly to the side, the opposite mirrored exactly. This continued on as Carlisle spoke, minutes passing. His hand turned a page, and I was baffled to see that he wasn't even looking down to look at the words on the page.

And then he stopped. He took a deep breath and spoke a single word in English.

"North." A sudden breeze moved my hair, and my eyes closed involuntarily. A warm feeling flowed through me, and my mouth opened in a silent gasp. It was something completely different- a sense of belonging and love. I felt whole and I felt important.

"East," Edward's voice spoke next. I opened my eyes and felt my own tears begin to well up. Is this what it meant to be part of this coven? Is this what I missed when I was unconscious during my own change? Had I really missed out on this?

"South." Jasper's voice rang out loud and true. And I knew exactly what I had to say. I looked at Alice and spoke loud and clear.

"West." Edward's eyes opened and he nodded at me, letting me know that I had, indeed, said the right thing.

Just then, every flame on every candle died.

Carlisle stood, the book set off to the side carefully. The vial and knife were in his hands, and he took a step towards Edward. Edward held out his left hand, not flinching as Carlisle ran the knife along his skin. Blood pooled and Carlisle slid the vial along his hand to collect the blood. I watched in fascination as he left Edward and approached Jasper, doing the same to him. When he approached me, I only hesitated for a second. Not out of doubt, but out of nervousness. Jasper and Edward had done this- I was brand new. But I held out my left hand, watching as Carlisle slid the blade along my palm. Amazingly, it didn't hurt. I felt a cool sensation instead, and I watched with fascination as my blood poured from my skin and into the glass vial, mixing with Edward's and Jasper's. When Carlisle stepped away from me, I didn't watch him go. Instead, I watched the blood flow from my palm, and I hesitantly reached down to wipe it off on my jeans. I did well to get rid of the blood, but the cut was still there, and beads of blood appeared almost instantly.

Carlisle was in front of Alice again, and he began to slice his own hand, collecting the blood to mix with ours. When all of our blood seemed to fill the bottle, he stepped up to stand a foot away from Alice. His eyes probed hers, and he silently asked if she was ready. I knew she had no idea what was going to happen, but she nodded regardless. Carlisle grasped her hand and began to repeat his motions. Surprisingly, Alice didn't flinch as Carlisle took her left hand and moved it so that it was palm up. He never broke her stare as he ran the knife along her palm, blood pooling immediately. Once he took her blood in the same fashion he had ours, he stepped back and began to speak again. The second his voice sounded, my candle's flame died, the gray smoke swirling up towards the ceiling. A quick inventory of the room showed me that everyone's had done the same.

Carlisle sat on the ground next to his candle, and he corked the bottle of blood as he spoke. Setting the full bottle on top of his candle's extinguished wick, I gaped as the bottle glowed for a second.

Minutes passed and finally Carlisle stood and placed his right hand on the side of Alice's head. The bottle was in his hand, uncorked and waiting. I remembered vaguely my own experience of having to swallow blood, and I knew without a doubt that this was what was going to happen next.

Carlisle lifted the vial to Alice's lips, letting her bottom lip become thickly coated with the blood of her four friends. He didn't force her to drink it all, which confused me, but when Alice's tongue darted out to lap up the blood on her lip, I immediately felt a pull in my stomach. It was the same feeling I had before the ceremony had started, and I felt dread flow through me.

I looked over to Jasper, wondering if he had felt the same thing, and with a sense of horror I saw that his eyes were wide and his face was a mask of pain. Glancing at Edward showed the same.

Fuck.

I took a shaky breath and opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, Alice gasped and a thin trail of our blood falling from the corner of her mouth. He dropped the candle that had still remained in her hands, and she fell to the floor. I wanted to believe this was part of the ceremony. I wanted to believe that she was supposed to be down on her knees. But that feeling of dread that I had felt before this whole damn thing had started rushed back to me and I watched in absolute horror as Alice lurched forward, her hands pressed to the floor.

"What... what is happening?" Alice's voice was weak, and even Carlisle seemed perplexed.

"Carlisle?" Jasper finally spoke. I waited, with everyone else, as the seconds ticked, and I could hear Alice's heart speed faster.

And with a final shuddering sound, she collapsed fully onto the ground, her heart silent.

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***cowers and hides***

**Will Alice be okay? Did she fall victim to the 'maybe's' and 'what if's'? How will Jasper react to the love of his life, dying before his very eyes?**

**The next (shorter than normal, remember people!) will be up soon. Love you all!**


	27. Chapter 27

**You don't even have to say it... I know. I suck at updates. I don't have an excuse, no rhyme or reason. Just a busy life with a busy job and weird hobbies that have occupied my time. BUT you will be both saddened and happy to know that this is the end of Silver Bay. Yep, this is the last chapter... please see the ending author's note as to why. **

**Without further adeu... **

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a purdy new white Explorer. Hehe**

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**_PREVIOUSLY..._**

_I took a shaky breath and opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, Alice gasped and a thin trail of our blood falling from the corner of her mouth. He dropped the candle that had still remained in her hands, and she fell to the floor. I wanted to believe this was part of the ceremony. I wanted to believe that she was supposed to be down on her knees. But that feeling of dread that I had felt before this whole damn thing had started rushed back to me and I watched in absolute horror as Alice lurched forward, her hands pressed to the floor._

"_What... what is happening?" Alice's voice was weak, and even Carlisle seemed perplexed. _

"_Carlisle?" Jasper finally spoke. I waited, with everyone else, as the seconds ticked, and I could hear Alice's heart speed faster. _

_And with a final shuddering sound, she collapsed fully onto the ground, her heart silent._

* * *

The sound of ocean waves roared in my ears, and I felt all of the air leave my body. I couldn't move, couldn't think. All I knew was that Alice was laying in the middle of the floor, motionless. Not breathing, heart not beating.

Everyone was in motion- Edward and Jasper rushing to Alice's side and Carlisle looking at me. I looked up at him and saw that his lips were moving. Was he saying something to me? The ocean waves were gone, and in their place was the oddest sound… I could only compare it to the sound the adults in the Peanuts cartoon made. '_Mwa mwa mwa woop wa…'_

"Bella!" Edward's voice broke through, and I looked down at him. He was pressing down on Alice's chest, going through the motions of CPR. Jasper was breathing into her mouth after every five compressions. Carlisle was shaking me, his words lost on me. After fifteen compressions and three deep breaths, Alice's heart was still silent, and I felt myself react to Carlisle's shaking.

"Isabella! Can you hear me?" I looked at Carlisle and I nodded. And like someone slammed their hand into my forehead, I snapped. My vision, my body- _everything_. I looked down at Alice and moved towards her.

"Move," I whispered. No one made any indication that they had heard me, so I stepped even closer.

"Get the fuck out of my way!" I screamed. Jasper glared at me, but he and Edward still moved. I looked down at my hands and saw that the air around them was like water. How did my body already know what to do, when I didn't?

I didn't have any time to think about it, because before I realized what was going on, I pushed out enough energy to throw the three men around me against the farthest wall, and to lift Alice into the air in front of me.

"Holy shit!" Edward cried out. His eyes were wide, staring at me like I was on display in a damn museum. Jasper was gaping at me in shock, but with a tinge of hope in every inch of his face. Carlisle was smiling.

Alice was motionless. Heart silent.

The surge of power ran through me again, and I felt my hands twitch. I pushed out the energy again, watching as Alice shot into the air like someone had used electric paddles on her.

Silence.

"Why isn't anything happening?" Jasper whispered. _I don't know_, I thought. Panic rushed through me, my body vibrating. Alice was on the floor, growing more pale as the seconds passed. Her dark hair lay around her head like a small curtain, her legs tucked to the side. Her arms were out to the side, like she was waiting for someone to hug her. Tears ran down my cheeks, falling to the floor as my body shook.

I had to get my energy into her, it was the only way she was going to come back. It was the only way to heal her. But my 'electric paddle' method wasn't working.

I stepped forward and kneeled next to Alice. She seemed so lifeless… I sobbed quietly before I gathered her into my arms. Her skin was cold, sending my senses into overdrive once again.

"Finish the ceremony," I said loudly. Carlisle startled at my voice and seemed confused. "Finish it, Carlisle! Keep going!" He paused again and looked at Edward and Jasper before running back over to the book he had dropped. I took several deep breaths and listened as Carlisle began to speak again. I didn't understand the words, so I knew he was reading from the book. That was my cue, and I closed my eyes, pushing out all of my energy.

I could feel the heat through every inch of my body, rushing all over me like someone poured hot water over my head. I focused on the feel of Alice's skin on mine. I imagined each and every piece of my energy shooting into her, into her heart, into her mind. I imagined her smile, her laughter. The tears kept falling from my eyes as I pushed even more into her.

_Please work, please work._

I could hear Jasper's voice in my head, and I suddenly had an idea.

"Touch my arm," I whispered. There was a falter in Carlisle's words, but he kept going. I knew that Edward and Jasper were probably looking at each other, wondering if they heard correctly.

"Touch my fucking arm!" I screamed. I listened as they scrambled to their feet and flew across the room to my side. Their hands touched me and I immediately felt the heat increase. Pressure began to form in my chest, right along the lines of heartburn. Their fingers were burning imprints into my skin, but they were doing what I needed them to do.

They were giving me their energy, too.

I could _feel_ them inside of me. I could feel their energy mixed with mine.

It had to be enough.

Carlisle's voice grew louder, and the pressure inside of my chest exploded. I leaned my head back and took a deep breath, the pain inside of me shooting through every bit of my being.

"Oh my God," Edward whispered. I could see his face in my mind, and I saw an expression of amazement and wonder. I was sure that Jasper's matched it, but I didn't have a chance to look, because a scream erupted from me. I screamed to the heavens, I screamed for me and Edward, for Alice and her future with Jasper.

I opened my eyes, and felt all of the pressure leave me. It shot outwards, and directly into the person I held in my arms.

In my mind I could see Alice's heart. It was still… but only for a moment.

_Thump thump…_

"Oh dear God," Jasper cried.

My throat hurt… but I kept screaming as I pushed out every bit of me into Alice. Carlisle spoke one final sentence and I heard the book fall to the ground. As soon as I heard that loud _bang_… I collapsed.

The ground flew up into my line of vision and I dropped Alice from my grasp. I didn't hear her hit the ground, so I assumed that someone had caught her. I, unfortunately, hit the ground loudly. I didn't feel any pain, only numbness as everything faded into blackness.

* * *

I opened my eyes to find that I was lying on a couch. Looking around, I saw that I was in the extra living area on the second floor of the main house. The first thought I had?

_What the hell is with everyone passing the fuck out?_

And then my mind was on Alice. I sat up quickly, throwing my legs over the edge of the couch and standing. I pushed through the immediate head rush and turned towards the door just as it opened.

"Bella!" It was Jasper.

"Where's Alice," I whispered. I could barely hear my own voice, and I felt the floor move under me. I closed me eyes and took a deep breath. Jasper's footsteps came closer to me and I could smell his cologne.

"She's downstairs. Bella, you need to sit back down. You look pale." I shook my head minutely and opened my eyes again. He was standing close, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"No, I need to see her. Please." I didn't have to beg any longer, because he nodded and took my arm in his.

"At least let me help you. Last thing we need is for you to fall down the damn stairs." I felt pressure on my arm as he began to pull me towards the hall, and I closed my eyes, trusting him to lead me in the right direction. The floor moved under me, and I hung on Jasper like my life depended on it.

What had happened? I remembered Alice, I remembered hearing her heart beat after I pushed all, and I mean _all_, of my energy into her. But she was alive. I knew she was. She had to be.

"Please tell me she's alive," I said, allowing Jasper to lead me down the steps, very slowly.

"She's alive," he confirmed. There was a hint of a smile in his voice, and I let out a breath of relief. He said nothing else until we made it to the first floor, and only then did I open my eyes.

"She's in the kitchen." I nodded, and I let him lead me in the right direction. As soon as we walked through that threshold, I gasped.

There was Alice, sitting atop the granite counter, her short legs kicking as she spoke to Carlisle and Edward. She stopped mid sentence and her eyes met mine. I was baffled, amazed, and confused all at once.

"It worked?" I asked. "Did it really work?" Alice was very alive and well- her black hair looking as dark as an onyx stone. Her eyes were bright and shining, clearly taking in every detail of what was going on around her. Her skin had almost a _sparkle_ to it, like the sunlight was catching the surface of tiny diamonds over every inch of her.

"Alice?" I took a step forward, Jasper's arm dropping from me. Edward and Carlisle were both smiling, no- they each had a grin the size of Texas on their face. Alice jumped down from the counter with grace and made her way over to me. She stopped a foot away and her head tilted to the side as if she were studying me.

"There's my hero," she finally whispered. I choked out a sob and fell forward, directly into her arms. Amazingly enough, she held me up off the floor without bowing under my weight. Her arms wrapped around me and held me in a tight hug.

"Oh my God, Alice, I'm so glad you're okay!" Tears flowed freely, and I realized then more than every, how horrible and empty I would have felt if she hadn't made it.

"I'm fine, Bella. I'm fine." We stood like that for a few minutes until I stepped back and took another look at her. She was _different_.

"It worked?" I whispered. Her eyebrow rose and I bit back a laugh.

"Yep," she responded. And then she stepped back, closing her eyes. The air seemed to crackle with electricity, and within seconds Alice's hands clenched into fists. When she extended her fingers again, her nails were black and were growing rapidly into talons. Her head bent forward, black tendrils falling into a curtain around her face. There was a faint sound of cloth tearing, and with elegance I didn't know existed, wings arched out to her sides, black in color… as black as the night.

"It worked," I whispered.

_It worked! _I shouted into everyone's minds. Laughter erupted around the kitchen and Alice nodded, her eyes glowing.

"What does this mean?" I asked, looking at Carlisle so that he knew the question was directed at him. He looked thoughtful for the briefest moments and then shrugged. He fucking _shrugged. _

"It means a lot of things," he mused. Alice's wings folded to her side as she listened, and my eyes continued to look over her as if she were a mirage. "Alice was not destined to be a Ganduri, but she was able to be made into one. Of course, we can't let this get out, because there will be an uproar. But… the possibilities are endless."

"We do know one thing," Edward offered. "We know that this was possible because of you. Normally we wouldn't be able to go through with the ceremony and have the same outcome. It was only because we had you there, that we were able to do this."

"So what you're saying," I said slowly, "is that as long as I'm there, I can turn any unsuspecting soul into a Ganduri?" I didn't like the sound of that. I didn't like it one bit.

"We don't know the details, Bella," Carlisle said, "but it's a theory."

"We can't let anyone know." I could hear the fear in my voice. But everyone nodded, agreeing with me. I looked at Alice and watched as her wings retracted and her nails turned back to beige.

"I'm so glad you're okay," I told her again. I looked at Jasper and Edward. We had our mates. And then I looked at Carlisle.

"Esme?" Carlisle shook his head and stepped forward. His hand fell on Alice's shoulder and they smiled warmly at one another.

"I will discuss this with Esme, this discovery. But it will be her decision. Because I've lived a large portion of my life. If she is turned now, she will only be with me for a little over two hundred years. Sounds like a lot, yes, but I don't know. It will be up to her, as long as all of you are okay with it." Everyone nodded and he smiled again.

Edward came forward and wrapped his arms around me, letting me rest my weight against him. I still felt so tired, so weak, and I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep until my energy was renewed. I listened as Jasper and Alice whispered to one another, walking into the other room. Carlisle hesitated for only a second before he followed them, and I assumed that he was heading towards his love- Esme.

"I love you," Edward whispered in my ear. Goosebumps flew over my skin, and I smiled. Things were falling in place. Like a puzzle.

"I love you more."

* * *

The next two weeks were so busy, that I could barely remember everything that happened. But… it was some of the best weeks of my life.

Jeremy had woken up in the infirmary and sought out Alice. She graciously called him a cab and walked with him down to the main road. The rest of us (Edward, Jasper, Carlisle and I) stood atop the hill, watching as she carefully told him that she was no longer with him, and she wouldn't be anytime in the next one hundred years. He looked at her like she was crazy, but still argued with her. I laughed when her eyes began to glow and she 'somehow' convinced him to leave. She waved as the cab drove off, and then ran up the hill, her smile in place. She was with her family now.

I started teaching students to play the viola or the violin. Carlisle had invested heavily in that department, and purchased a viola and a violin in every size so that I could teach people properly. There was a sign up in the Rec Hall for lessons, and within two days I had five people wanting to learn. I was nervous as hell, and I went into town with Edward to pick up books on beginners.

My first student was believe it or not, a fifteen year old boy named Eric, who had been arrested five times on accounts of assault, grand theft, and even drug dealing. He was tall for his age- almost six foot- with a small mohawk and several piercings. He scared me a little at first, but I was able to connect with him on a weird level.

Being a teacher now, I was able to move out of the dormitories and into my very own room. It was in the same building as Barbie, but she was the only other teacher in the building. This was practically an invite for Edward to stay with me just about every night. And because there were two other rooms in the building, Alice and Jasper moved into one as well. I had the feeling that Barbie didn't like this, but Carlisle made sure to speak with her, to make sure she understood that our relationships were not to be spread all over campus. Her employment there depended on that secrecy.

Edward and I… we connected on more levels that I ever dreamed of. The day that I woke up from Alice's ceremony, we holed ourselves up in the Isolation room for hours. We made love more times than I could remember, and we talked about anything and everything. It scared me that we had forever in front of us, but it thrilled me at the same time. I'd never had anything like this before, something so permanent and reassuring.

When we basically moved in with one another, things fell together so naturally. That first morning, I stretched and turned to Edward, who was still asleep. His hair was hanging in his eyes, his mouth parted to where his breath came in and out slowly, blowing in my face. I had smiled and kissed him gently, moving against him until he moved in response. What a nice way to wake up… which is how we'd been waking up every day since.

Carlisle spoke to Esme… and they decided not to change Esme. We all cried, me especially, but it was her choice. She wanted to enjoy her time with Carlisle, but the idea of losing him in so 'little' time, scared her more than her dying. So they left things the way they were.

Alice became Edward's assistant in his class, allowing the activities to branch into much larger things. They planned more climbing trips, canoeing, course work, and even camping trips. We'd already had a little 'meeting' between the teachers about the next camping trip, and I had to admit that I was excited. After all, it was on one of those camping trips that Edward and I had revealed our 'like' towards one another.

Jasper was the happiest mother fucker in the entire world. I had walked into his classroom one day to see him just staring at the wall with a huge grin on his face. I stood there for about five minutes, just watching him, until I cleared my throat. He had turned to me and his smile just grew wider. When I asked him what the hell was going on, he just stood up and hugged me.

"I love you, Bella," he said into my hair. I felt my skin heat in a blush, and when I pulled back I looked at him in question.

"What's going on J?"

"You gave me my life," was all he answered. I laughed and lead him towards the Rec Hall.

"Let's go, Romeo. Even saps like you need to eat."

Alice and Jasper were like newlyweds. All over one another when they were in front of just the clan. Throwing _looks_ when they were out in public.

One night, two weeks after Alice was changed, I sat out at the dock, looking out over the lake. I felt so at peace with everything, that I wanted to cry with happiness.

"Hey." I looked over my shoulder to see Edward standing behind me.

"Hey yourself," I smiled. The weather had changed again, and Edward was dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. As always, he looked handsome, and I wanted to lick him from head to toe. I wanted to lick him like a damned ice cream cone.

"Room for another?" His voice was velvet in the night, and I closed my eyes with a sigh.

"Always." He sat next to me, reaching out to hold my hand.

"You got mail today," he said after a moment. I looked over at him and saw that he held an envelope in his right hand. I hesitated for just a second before I reached for it. Looking down at the front, I cringed when I saw that the handwriting was my mother's.

"Awesome," I muttered. Edward chuckled, and I let go of his hand so that I could open the offending item. Taking a deep breath, I let the breeze whip my hair behind my shoulders, and I read the letter.

_Bella,_

_To say the last time we saw you was a mess is an understatement. But we are willing to forgive you for the way that you acted. We are family, and you belong with us. We know now that sending you to that school was a mistake, and we are hoping that you can overlook our mistake and forgive _us_ for that. _

_With that said, we want to let you know that your room is still empty at home. When you are ready, it is yours again. Please let us know if you decide to grow up and join us again. _

_We love you,_

_Mom and Dad_

"Un-fucking-believable." Edward turned to look at me, eyebrows raised in question.

"Everything okay?" he asked. I shook my head and balled up the paper, setting it on the dock next to me.

"Yeah. It's just a letter from the parental units, telling me that when I am ready to apologize for being a brat, they're ready to forgive me." Edward laughed, and eventually I joined in with them.

"You know that's crazy, right?" I nodded, leaning into him with a sigh.

"I know. I know." We sat there for what felt like hours, soaking up the night like it was a drug. I just couldn't believe how my life had turned around in the past year. And it all came down to… Ryan. If he hadn't tried to save me, I wouldn't have been saved.

"It sucks that Ryan had to die in order for me to be happy like this," I said aloud. Edward looked down at me, trying to figure out where my mind was.

"It does. Do you regret it?" I shook my head immediately.

"I will never regret you. Ever. It just sucks that Ryan had to die for me to be this way." We remained silent, and long after the warning siren had gone off, Edward stood, offering his hand to me. Pulling me up, I reached down to gather the trash that was my letter, and allowed him to pull me towards our room.

* * *

***tear* I know, I know. I will be honest. Some people may be ticked off at how I ended Silver Bay, but I had to end it. I've been writing it for a long time, and with me being absolutely horrible at updating it, I could have either ended it or dragged it on for even longer. Trust me, there are plenty of ways I could have taken this (Esme could have been turned, someone could have found out about turning a normal human into a Ganduri and Bella could have been taken again, the list goes on and on). But after writing this for so long, I have to be honest and say that my heart wasn't in it anymore. I've been entertaining ideas of other stories in my head, but when I realize that SB hasn't been finished yet, it un-motivates me and then it all falls to shit. So, with Silver Bay finished, I can look into the horizon for other possibilites. Like maybe working on Unsuspected Afternoon (my Jasper and Bella story that I started).**

**So, with tears in my eyes, and a smile on my face, I thank everyone who read and reviewed Silver Bay. It's been a pleasure, and it's been real. I love you all for standing by me, even if you weren't sure if it were ever going to finish. I love you!**

**~~Ashley**


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